I'll Find You
by Unfable
Summary: My version of how Daryl reacts to the news of Carol leaving the group, along with a story of their growing relationship afterwards.
1. Chapter 1

"You did what?!" Daryl yelled, clearly pissed.

He wasn't exactly listening to reason as Rick tried to explain his banishment. "She murdered two innocent people. May of been planning to do the same to others who were sick. She couldn't be trusted."

Daryl stood there shaking his head. "You're wrong." He hissed and turned to leave.

Rick was quick to follow, treading his heels. "Where you going?" Extending his arm he grabbed Daryl's shoulder to stop him and was instantly rejected as he jerked away.

"To find her." Angered he took a step back.

"You don't get to make that choice." Rick narrowed his eyes at Daryl's disrespect of his decision.

"I ain't askin'. I'm no prisoner here." He stalked off to gather some of his things and peeled out on his bike without another word spoken.

Knowing the area well that Rick and Carol had gone on the supply run, he felt there was a good chance he'd find her.

The day was warm and few hours left before the sun set, so he took that moment to just enjoy the quiet ride along the abandoned road. Had been a long time since he was so alone out in the open, but it helped calm him from the anger that was recently present.

It amazed him the amount of walkers that surrounded the prison while so few were outside the location. Passing maybe three before reaching the neighborhood and once there none in sight. That didn't mean he let his guard down. He scanned the area the best he could from the roads of the neighborhood. For any sign she had been there or was still around. Figuring if she was, she'd hear the familiar sound of his bike and show herself. She was long gone and the daylight was quickly fading.

Finding shelter in a house that stood alone from the rest allowed him a garage to store his bike from potential looters and the warmth from all the doors and windows still intact. He entered with caution intentionally making noise to draw out any walkers from hiding and to his surprise all was silent.

Thankfully the place hadn't been raided and some canned goods remained in the cabinets. After filling his bag to the brim he set in motion checking out the second floor in case any walkers were trapped. The sight of the first room he entered made his stomach turn uncomfortably. The smell alone making him feel sick. Laying in the bed were two decomposing bodies that fell victim to apparent suicide and he quickly closed the door trying to hold back the bile that threatened to rise. He thought over time that was a smell he'd be used to.

After checking the rest of the house he found comfort in a room that belonged to a teenage girl. The walls were covered in your typical teen girl celebrity crushes and hundreds of pictures of her and her friends. Sadness crept in while thoughts of Sophia washed over. He wished this was the life she could grown up in, happy with friends, but instead she was torn from existence.

Making sure the door was secured he sighed and fell back on to the bed. Hoping to rest his mind enough to get some sleep.

Two days had passed and still no sign of Carol. No cars broken down that looked like hers, no notes left, nothing. His heart sank slightly as he feared he'd never see her again. Until he caught a glance at the tail end of a car from behind an old gas station.

Slamming on the brakes and spinning the bike around he sighed in relief when he knew it was hers. The feeling was short lived when he noticed the driver side window shattered and blood everywhere. Turning when a walker approached coming out of the bathroom he quickly put an arrow through its eye. It fell with a loud thud and he swiftly moved inside where the trail of blood lead.

"Carol?" Keeping his voice low he called out after hearing a crash from the back that echoed through the store. He shot another walker in the forehead that was blocking his way and rounded the corner.

Two pairs of feet came in to sight. A set of muddy old boots and boots of a woman he recognized. The corpse moved as Carol pulled her knife from its skull and shoved it off her body.

"Hey." She said with a soft smile as if very casual.

He saw how bloody her arm was and went to help her stand, holding her still to get a better look.

"Were you bit?"

She shook her head trying to hide the wound, embarrassed. "Just cut from the window." He smiled then and pulled her into a hug. Both relieved to see each other once again.

The reunion was a bit overwhelming for Carol as tears spilled down her cheeks. The time she was alone she tried to be brave and handle the dangers of the new world on her own. She had grown over the past year and became a stronger woman, but had been scared to death not being around a familiar face.

Taking in Daryl's scent made everything so real and when he reached up to wipe her tears away with his thumb she knew she was safe.

Kissing the top of her head he moved to pull a handkerchief from his pocket and wrap her arm. Hopefully once back at the prison Hershel could care for it properly. "You ok to drive?"

"I'm fine." At least she hoped . The pain in her arm was throbbing, but it wouldn't keep her from operating the vehicle.

After Daryl collected his arrows they went outside to clean the broken glass from the driver seat. The blood had dried, starting to congeal which left a dark stained when wiped away. Wasn't really much they could do about it, but it didn't bother Carol as she sat down and shut the door.

"Just follow me and flash your lights if you need anything. I know a place we can stay the night."

She nodded and started the car, doing as asked and followed closely down the road.

The growl from his bike along the silent country side made her smile. It was nothing but red neck and man, everything Daryl. She was happy he still had that little part of him from his life before. One of the things she cherished about his personality. The shy, gentle, quiet type, but one look in his direction and you knew he meant business.

He turned into the neighborhood Rick had left her in and rejection flooded her body once more. Literally making her shiver as she remembered the nights alone cowering in a corner praying she'd see the sun rise. Never imagining how hard it was to survive out here alone until then.

They parked in the garage and entered the house. Carol took note of the covered windows and how prepared he had been.

"Hungry?" He asked tossing his bag on the kitchen table and grabbed her hand dragging her over to the sink.

"Happen to have any steak or baked potatoes in there?" Nodding in the direction of his bag jokingly trying to get back into their playful routine.

"Maybe some squirrel." He grinned and wet a towel, slowly unwrapping his handkerchief from her arm. She hissed in pain as some dry blood peeled at the wound.

"Sorry." Meeting her eyes for a second he looked back down to concentrate on gently cleaning her arm the best he could. She stood there biting her lip at the stinging and watched as he put a clean bandage around it. Before she could thank him he hopped up to sit on the counter with his legs spread, arms between them with his palms pressed against the smooth counter top.

"Why'd you do it?" He hadn't meant to sound so blunt, but it was something they were going to have to talk about before heading back to the prison.

That caught her off guard and a confused look spread across her face, taking a moment to sink in. There really wasn't an easy way to explain her actions and being confronted by him made it even more difficult. "I thought it was the right thing to do."

He raised his eye brow and she continued, sighing. "Our own kind were turning into walkers. I thought the best thing to do was step in and prevent it from happening. I was scared and also trying to do the heroic thing. For Lizzie and Mika, I didn't want anything bad to happen to anyone I cared about. It's not like I'm the best known for making the right choices. Look at Ed? Sophia?" She looked away then and he instantly felt bad for asking. Understanding where she was coming from.

"Rick had no right to leave you here." Hopping off the counter he walked over to the table where his bag was.

Carol stayed put watching. "Didn't think you cared."

He frowned and turned to her direction. "I've always cared."


	2. Chapter 2

Dropping the conversation there he pulled out two cans of food and went to search for a can opener. Speaking with his back to her. "Go take a shower, I'll make us some dinner." The water was still cold, but at least it was running. Good thing it was summer. He turned to face her once the cans were open and nodded in the direction of the bathroom.

She stood there a minute watching him, then grabbed her bag and went.

Once inside she closed the door and leaned back against it, shutting her eyes. The stress of the day getting the best of her now that she was alone to let it. Hell the stress of the past few days were making her body rigid and she slid to the floor dropping her head to her hands. She had tried so hard to forget everyone at the prison, trying to move on, because she knew she'd never see them again. Then Daryl comes rushing back into her life to save the day. How was she to repay him for his kindness? The fact he cared? Her head hurt so much at the confusion. Daryl had a special place in her heart and everyone knew it. Their relationship had never passed anything other than being caring and playful, but they both knew their was more. Several times she had wanted to run to his arms, just to feel his warm embrace. To know someone cared. It was a feeling she never had with Ed, with anyone.

Tears slowly made way and overflowed down her cheeks, she sighed trying to calm down. A soft knock at the door startled her and she quickly stood trying to wipe her face. "Yeah?"

Daryl grew worried the longer he stood in the kitchen without hearing the shower and went to check on her. "Everything alright?"

There was a hand towel in reach hanging on the wall and she grabbed it to place against her eyes. A sob escaping when she went to speak. "No..." Replying honestly.

The door shifted as he entered, keeping his eyes low if she wasn't decent. Trying to be respectful. Her boots were still on, so he lifted his head to see her bent over the sink, crying. It pained him to see her so broken and fragile again, only days before slaying walkers like it was nothing. Without hesitation he slid his hands down her small arms from behind and kissed the crook of her neck, trying to offer comfort the best way he could. Like most men, he found it hard to know what was best for a crying woman.

"I'm so sorry..." Her voice was hoarse, but his presence and touch allowed her to relax as the stress slowly started to fade.

"S'ok." His hand fell over hers as he made way down her arm and squeezed, pulling it from the sink to make her turn and face him. Those beautiful blue eyes were cloudy and red, giving him a better look into her broke state and he wanted nothing more than to fix it, to make her smile. There were stains covering her cheeks from the dirt and tears and once again he tried to wipe them away. Taking his time, he gently slid his fingers over the side of her short hair and down her slender neck, wondering how they had gotten to this point.

There was a long pause between them as they both just stared and she finally moved to press her soft lips against his nervously. The tension felt behind her closed eyes made her still, wondering if she made a mistake. It wasn't until Daryl shifted to move his mouth against hers that she continued, confident of her actions. Hesitantly he reached up to cup her face with both hands, falling back against the wall. Without any resistance he slid his tongue passed her lips, squeezing the nap of her neck to suppress a groan that threatened to escape. Her taste was intoxicating, making him light-headed.

Carol moved then to grip his hip, winding a finger through a belt loop to pull him closer as a soft moan echoed against them. The sound alone caused him to bite down on her lip uncontrollably, only creating a louder moan which made him pull away breathless.

"Carol...wait." He just stood there with his eyes closed, sighing, trying to get his shaking under control. Before she took notice of his now rather tight, uncomfortable jeans, he pulled her hand away for his hip carefully and shifted. Under different circumstances he would have taken full advantage of this situation, but she was too vulnerable right then.

"Whats wrong?" She asked, a hint of rejection in her voice.

Not wanting to see anymore tears he kissed her forehead and reached around to grab the towel from the sink. "Just wanna make sure yer thinkin' straight." He gently tried to clean the dirt from her face, a gesture she was very appreciative of. With a soft run of his finger over her bottom lip he dropped his hand and grinned.

"Think you can handle it from here?" He asked holding out the towel for her to take.

She smiled slightly and nodded, taking it from his hand as she looked toward the door for him to leave.

Doing just that he went to finish preparing the dinner he had been working on. Not like it was anything special, but it made him feel useful.

Nothing about the kiss was spoken of while they tried to enjoy their meal. It was comfortable though, with only small talk as he once again sat on the counter and her at the table.

"Well that was disgusting." He said moving to place his dishes in the sink. Something as tiny as that made things almost feel normal again. Too bad he had no intentions of actually cleaning them.

"Wasn't that bad." She placed her dishes with his and playfully elbowed him. "Maybe you should stick to grilling." Grinning she walked away to push her chair back under the table.

"Or maybe you can cook next time." He quipped. Enjoying the moment of old habits. "C'mon." Motioning to head upstairs.

He showed her to the room he had stayed in and went on his way to shower himself. The door was intentionally left cracked so he could hear if she needed anything and began to undress. After checking himself over for any new wounds he wasn't aware of, he climbed in to the already running water. It was almost unbearable and he shivered under the cold pounding at his back. Nothing like a frigid shower to make you appreciate the lukewarm water he had grown used to at the prison. While trying to make it quick he heard Carol yell and instantly jumped out wrapping a towel around his waist, going to make sure she was alright. A confused look spread across his face when she was just standing there unharmed.

Growing restless she decided to give the rest of the house a look. Making the mistake of entering the room next door with the rotting corpses. She yelped and slammed it shut, startled. Even more startled when Daryl almost ran in to her in only a towel, quickly she looked away feeling the blood rush to her face in embarrassment.

"Sorry, sorry, didn't realize we had company." Struggling to keep her eyes away from his bare torso, she kept her head low and started back toward the teenagers room, laughing slightly. "Carry on."

"Geez woman, give someone a heart attack." He huffed at her chuckle and went back to rinse off.

Much like Daryl the first night he stayed here, she took in all the photos on the wall. Hitting a little too close to home as it reminded her of Sophia. She used to hang posters all over her room also. A photo of two younger girls grabbed her attention and she detached it from the wall, thinking of Mika and Lizzie. She hoped they were doing alright, wondering if they even knew she was gone.

She moved to sit on the bed with the picture still in hand, just listening to the random sounds he made in the bathroom and tried to relax.

The shuffle of the bedroom door opening made her look up and Daryl walked in running a towel through his hair. He moved to sit in a chair in the corner of the room, hanging the towel on the back and leaned his bow against the wall close by. "Go ahead n' get some rest."

That wasn't going to be a difficult task, she was exhausted. After getting comfortable in the bed she turned in his direction. "Why are you so good to me?"

Biting at his thumb nail he didn't break the stare on the closed door in front of him. "Someone needs to be..." His voice was soft as he really thought about it. Having a feeling not many people had treated her with the kindness she deserved in her lifetime. Not that he felt obligated for that reason, but he couldn't admit to her his true feelings.

"I've only ever been a burden."

Dropping his hand he had chewed on, he lightly tapped it against the arm of the chair giving her a quick look then back to the door. He honestly didn't know what to say. Now wasn't the time to bring up Sophia and explain to her how much of a bond he felt between them over that time and now.

She rolled over then, without another word spoken and tried to get some rest. The bed still lingered with his scent from the days he had spent there, it helping to put her mind at ease.

The light shining through the window of the new day stirred Carol awake. She had forgotten where she was for a second since the nights rest had actually been very peaceful. At the prison that was hard to accomplish with so many people moving around.

Upon rolling over she noticed Daryl had moved from the chair to sit in the floor with his head propped up on the bed. The sight made her smile and she reached over to stroke his hair lightly.

Always on high alert, the touch jerked him awake and he instantly grabbed her wrist. It taking a moment to realize he wasn't actually in danger. Once his heart stopped racing he let her go and moved to stand. "Sorry." Apologizing still with sleep in his voice, he tried to stretch out the cramps in his muscles from sleeping in an awkward position.

"I would have moved over."

"Not the first time I've slept on the floor." After getting his back to pop he went to gather his bag and bow from the other side of the room. "We gotta go."

With that he was walking out the door while she hadn't even had time to move from the bed. It worried her that she had made a mistake kissing him, but was quickly reminded this was Daryl. Very casual and up front. The most intimate she had ever seen him was only hours earlier. The fact she wanted more made her always assume it would just happen. That he'd be the Daryl she imagined in those moments. No one was perfect, herself being a clear example of that. With a long sigh she finally got up and went to help him pack their things.

The ride back to the prison was far from pleasant. Every time she thought about facing Rick it made her physically sick. What would she say? An apology wasn't going to make everyone forget what happened and move on. _You have to stop this_. Breathing deeply she tapped the steering wheel trying to get her nerves under control. Having no music or sound other than his bike left plenty of room for her own thoughts to keep nagging.

Daryl stopped once over the hill to get a look at the prison. Just taking in the sight to make sure nothing had changed. He could see Rick and Maggie trying to fix a somewhat collapsed outer wall and Carl standing close by on guard. Hershel and Glenn were tending to the garden. It was nice to see him out in the fresh air after so close to death.

He revved his bike to get their attention and waited until they had the fence in order so Rick and Carl could let them in.

They slowly drove up to the prison to park and Carol grew even more nervous. She didn't dare move from the car until Rick had reached them.

"We need to talk." He said firmly staring at her through the broken window. Before her foot hit the ground, Tyreese had shoved Rick out of his way from behind and violently grabbed Carol by the throat, pulling her from the car. He roughly threw her back against the door and back-handed her.

It took every ounce of Daryl's strength to pull the larger man away. The rage he felt burning inside scared him as he knocked Tyeese to the ground and punched him in the nose, it bleeding on contact. He didn't stop there and continued to beat on him until Rick managed to drag him to his feet.

"Get off me!" Daryl hissed, jerking away from his hold trying to kick Tyreese who was still on the ground.

"Calm down." Rick said grabbing the front of Daryl shirt to restrain him further. It only added fuel to the fire and he knocked his hand away, taking a step back.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?!" Daryl yelled, looking at Rick, then made eye contact with Tyreese who was being held by Glenn and another man. Hershel stepped between the two trying to keep the situation from escalating. He reached out to touch Daryl's shoulder and was also rejected. "Don't touch me."

Wiping his bloody knuckles on his already stained and dirty jeans he scowled at Hershel and went to find Carol. The pain in his hand was nothing like the pain that stabbed him right in the chest when he took in the sight of Carol, still on the ground holding her face with a busted lip and bruising eye.

Daryl tried to offer assistance in helping, but she refused. Not wanting to be reminded of the weak, battered housewife she was before. Apparently the action offended Daryl because he quietly stood with a hurt look on his face and stalked off inside the prison.

Once he fell out of view she stood, finally seeing the group of people who had formed under the commotion. It made her slightly embarrassed and the confused looks on the bystanders told her no one else knew what was going on.

Rick approached, trying to talk with her in private. "This isn't what I wanted."

Carol kept her eyes low and spoke softly. "I deserved it. Not like it's the first time I've been hit by a man..." With Daryl gone she felt so alone and unwelcome. This place didn't feel like home anymore.


	3. Chapter 3

**PLEASE READ! - **For anyone who read the previous chapters, I went back and wrote them both over again. Some things changed, were removed, or new things got added. I'm not a very confident writer and wasn't satisfied how they turned out. My skills are around that of an amateur so I'm always nit picking at everything.

**CONTINUE -**

Everything around her seemed so foreign now. It had only been a few days, but after trying to forget this life it was hard to jump back in like nothing had happened.

"Am...am I allowed inside?" Her tone unsure.

Rick didn't have the heart to say no. While she was gone he had already started to regret his decision. It was Carol after all. Looking into her eyes, he now saw the woman they had all grown to trust and love. With a simple nod in reply he motioned for everyone else to go on their way, the issue would be taken care of properly, in time.

Beth had followed Daryl inside after watching the chaos unfold, happy he was back, but also wanting answers. As awkward the pair, the two had actually become pretty close friends. Usually not much was said between them, but that's why it worked so well. She considered him her rock, someone just as drained when it came to expressing emotions.

He was already sitting on his bed once she finally caught up, looking at his swollen knuckles. She stopped in the doorway leaning against the wall trying not to invade his privacy.

"I'm glad you're back."

Her tiny voice made him look up and he mock laughed. "What a great welcoming."

"What just happened?" No one had informed her or anyone for that matter on the situation with Carol. Being locked in quarantine with Judith alone, she'd go hours without hearing from another person. It wasn't until right before the incident she had even realized they had been gone.

Still pissed off with adrenaline running through his veins the next words spoken came out a lot harsher than intended. "Don't you have sumthin' better to do?" He huffed and laid down looking up at the ceiling.

The initial shock at his response took a moment to sink in. It was the first time he had spoken to her with such anger and it left her speechless.

Her lingering started to irritate him more. "Beth, I ain't got the patience for this."

His voice snapped her from the daze his previous words had created. "Sorry..." With that she walked away. Not wanting to put a ripple in their friendship, if she hadn't already.

Going to her own cell Carol was surprised nothing had changed. Nothing had even been moved. She sighed and sat down in a chair staring at the walls and through the bars as people walked by. A familiar feeling overcoming her as the word home started to sound better. The musty smell of the prison was enough to make anyone remember how living here was.

As she leaned forward on her knees she noticed the blood drops staining her shirt and grabbed the hem to dab at her busted lip, reminded of the hurt look Daryl had given her. Why did she reject him? After everything he had done. Going to find her when no one else would, holding her as she broke, Sophia...

A book under the bed caught her attention, distracting her from that thought. It had belonged to Sophia and she pulled it into her lap, turning to a page she knew well. Between the folds lied the Cherokee Rose Daryl had given her long ago. It had wilted and turned slightly brown, but the pages pressed together had kept it intact. He'd never know just how important and meaningful that moment had been for her, even if she tried to keep her little girl pushed far back in her mind to stay sane.

Many times she had stared at the open pages to gain some sort of peace. To be reminded that even in the worst of times there were still people who cared. Daryl didn't even know her daughter that well and he risked his life for days to find her. A simple 'Thank you' never seemed like enough. Hell she couldn't even find a way to tell him how she truly felt.

Sighing she stood with the book in hand and went to find Daryl so she could apologize, to do anything to try and make things better between them. To let him know it was a misunderstanding.

Beth almost knocked Carol off her feet as she rounded the corner to his cell and turned to watch as she kept walking with a confused look on her face.

Daryl growled when he heard someone walking back in his cell. "Seriously?" He snapped and sat up meeting Carol face to face.

She flinched away. "...I can come back?"

"No, No..." Quickly he apologized and motioned for her to sit down.

The look she caught on Beth's face when she was leaving hinted he hadn't been very nice. "I'm sure she means well."

"I know... I'm just so disgusted with these people." His foot extended and kicked the chair in-front of him, irritated as he leaned back against the wall.

She could feel his anger radiating off him from where she stood and frowned. He wouldn't be in this position had it not been for her. Finally she moved to sit and leaned with him, keeping the book at her side out of view as she moved her free hand to place on his leg. Trying to offer some comfort to calm him.

He tensed and bent his knee, pulling it up to his chest to make her stop touching him.

It hurt a little, but she understood he wasn't in the mood. The whole day had gone to shit. It started out nice with waking to the sun on her face and was now ending with this. To save anymore frustration she decided to remove herself from his cell and go back to her own in silence.

Beth was waiting for her when she returned, she had been crying.

"Oh, honey." Quickly she reached out to bring her into a hug. "He doesn't mean it."

Her small body trembled against Carol as she continued to cry, it surprising her that Daryl's actions had upset her so much. "Why wont anyone tell me whats going on? Why would Tyreese attack you? Where did you go!?" It had been a combination of his attitude and lack of information that had her worked up.

"Slow down." She pulled away and moved them to sit on her bed much like her and Daryl had just done. Their eyes met as Carol tried to find the best way to explain. "I made a mistake and Tyreese suffered because of it."

The confusion was clearly written all over Beth's face as she stared back in to Carol's bright blue eyes.

"What kind of mistake calls for him to hit you?"

That just reminded Carol how terrible she must of looked. The throbbing under her eye was getting hard to ignore.

She sighed and looked up to blink back forming tears. "I'm not sure if I'm the one who should be telling you this." Beth's opinion of her meant a lot. Actually a lot of people in the prison she was fond of and didn't want them thinking less of her for what she had done.

"I was the one who killed Karen and David..." Her voice got caught in her throat as she tried not to cry herself. Extremely ashamed of it now. At the time it had seemed like the right thing to do, but now seeing the once sick walking around, she accepted she made a terrible mistake.

Beth was silent finding it hard to form a response and slowly stood, still facing her. "Why?"

She shrugged, wiping her face. "I thought they would turn and attack, like the others who were sick... I realize now it should of never happened. Everyone is better and they could still be here."

As gruesome as it seemed, Beth was trying to be understanding. "Like when Rick killed Shane?" He was still human, but unstable and threatened the safety of others.

Carol kind of half laughed. "If you can even compare the two."

...

Daryl watched as Carol walked away due to his stand offish behavior and noticed the book laying on the bed where she had been sitting. A puzzled look spread across his face as he just stared, knowing who it originally belonged to. He had seen Sophia with it many times before she went missing. Curiosity got the better of him and he slowly reached over to pick it up.

The colors on the cover had faded and some of the pages were torn, which was normal for any book in this hostile environment. He eventually found his way to the rose and suddenly felt that familiar tugging at his chest. Everything from the day he had given it to Carol came rushing back and tears pricked the back of his eyes, something that was very uncharacteristic of his personality.

His fingers traced the outline of the wilted pedals, remembering the smell it once had and the look on Carol's face as he told her the story behind it. He would of done anything to find Sophia for her and didn't even know why. Yeah, he was a decent human and would try to save anyone in danger, he just didn't understand where the feelings came from. Before the search they had barely even spoken to one another. Having taken witness to Eds abuse on several occasions he secretly thought of ways to stop it, but nothing more. Maybe it was the fact they both had broken past and just gravitated toward one another.

Flashbacks of Carol falling to her knees and screaming as Rick shot Sophia flooded his memory. He reached up to pull at the hair on his chin as the war he fought to not cry over threw him. Never once shedding a tear before, the built up walls to keep the pain out crumbled. Remembering how her body shook against his hold as he desperately kept his strong arms wrapped around her tiny frame. The way her voice sounded while she pleaded to God it wasn't real. Everything she had been feeling that day he had also, but never let it show. It had been locked away since.

Once again he kicked the chair in front of him in frustration and sadness. Hating having to remember how much of a screw up he was in this fucked up world. Never feeling good enough for anyone. He ran his hands through his hair and quickly stood stalking out of his cell, trying to avoid the ones he passed so no one saw his current state.

The bathroom was empty and he couldn't of been more relieved, not needing an audience watching as he tended to his injured knuckles. Secretly just trying to distract himself from his own emotions.

"Daryl?" Carol's soft voice called from across the room and he instantly tensed. She had seen him walk by and noticed something was off.

Daryl's hands grabbed the sides of the sink with his head hung low, fighting to get under control. He was wrong to think he could face her, because as soon as he turned and saw her concerned expression he instantly frowned and the tears threatened to return.

That caught Carol off guard and she quickly went to him. "Whats wrong?"

He swallowed hard and tried to speak. "I'm sorry I failed you."

"Oh, No Daryl..." She frowned with him then and reached up to touch his cheek. It was hard to see a man so strong at his breaking point and it broke her heart. Giving him the book was only suppose to be a sign to let him know how much she really cared. To show him a piece of her she couldn't express through words.

He gently grabbed her hand to remove it from his face, still not wanting to be touched. Embarrassed she had seen him like this. He'd be lying however if he said he wasn't glad she was there.

...

_Probably out of character for our lovely Daryl, but I wanted to show a softer side of him. To let people know that under all his gruff and everything man, he can still be sensitive ;)_


	4. Chapter 4

"You should go." Daryl spoke finally. His voice a lot more clear the longer he had to stand there and get his thoughts together.

Carol gave him a stubborn look. "Why?"

"No one needs ta see me like this."

She shrugged. "You've seen me at my worst."

Daryl just sighed. Extremely confused by all the new feelings he was experiencing. It was like a terrible roller coaster ride and he wanted nothing to do with it. "Whatta you want from me?"

His question stunned her, making it difficult to find a way to answer, but she understood her behavior was like whiplash. One day she was stronger than she'd ever been her entire life, teaching children how to be brave and protect themselves. The next she was falling back to a helpless being incapable of thinking straight.

"A friend? Someone to care about? A survivor?"

Daryl half laughed. "Got a weird way of showin' it."

Carol's brows furrowed. "I'm sorry if its taken me a lot longer to gain some kind strength in this messed up world than you. I've never been given the chance to be independent and make choices on my own. I think I'm allowed a slip here or there." She was getting a little frustrated he wasn't taking her seriously.

"Take it easy." He was a smart man and knew people would go to extremes in these hard times. Trying to find their place and figure out who they really were. The change in events was just so overwhelming for him to process.

Up until that point it hadn't dawned on him the book was an apology. For her breaking down at the abandoned house, kissing him, Tyreese's attack, her rejection, everything from before. To him the rose only proved he was a failure, not realizing she had kept it because it meant something more.

Every negative emotion felt moments before started to subside slowly as he looked at the woman standing in front of him. She had grown, and was right to think she was going to need room to do so. To adjust.

_Fuck it_. Grabbing her shoulders he pulled her forward and crushed his lips against hers. Much more eager than the first time.

Carol turned her head away. "Whoa, hey...no." She pushed against his chest. "You don't get to pull this crap, then suddenly decide its ok to kiss me. No."

"Shut up." He grinned and extended his arm to grasp the back of her neck. Sliding his fingers through her short hair, pulling at it slightly as their mouths met once again. A lot more confident.

She couldn't fight it and honestly didn't want to, even if it made the cut on her lip sting. His grin gave her hope things were leaning in the right direction and that's all she ever wanted.

The tugging at her hair made her gasp softly as he caressed his tongue against hers for several minutes. She reached up finally to hold his cheek, curling her fingers to feel the hair growing along his jaw line and in the process he had reached around to grab her ass, making sure she was flush against him. Which only caused her to moan and fall from his lips.

Carol's eyes were hazy and slanted when she pulled away, her mind wrapped up in how he tasted, the way he'd move and breathe. The grip he had, kept her head tilted back exposing the curve of her neck and perfect collar bone. _She looked so beautiful_ he thought and it called for him to dip his head and bite her neck gently, before lightly kissing from under her ear to the edge of her shoulder.

The sound of a throat clearing caught their attention and they both pulled away as if each other had been on fire and was too hot to touch.

Daryl leaned against the sink, pretending like he was messing with the faucet and bit his lip to hide the grin that spread across his face and Carol's hand covered her mouth to keep a laugh from escaping as she began to blush profusely.

Rick just stood there awkwardly, knowing what he had interrupted, but their actions were entertaining to watch. Like kids who would get in trouble if their parents found out.

"Everyone is meeting in the cafeteria so we can discuss the incident with Tyreese."

Daryl nodded in response and smiled over to Carol as Rick turned his back, moving to follow him.

...

The cafeteria was full of people who weren't off doing chores or on guard and in the middle sat the council Rick had assigned from the beginning.

"Carol!" A small high pitched voice yelled as Lizzie came running over, Mika at her heels.

Carol dropped to her knees and hugged the two girls. Grateful they seemed in good health and out of harms way. She kicked herself for not going to find them sooner upon her return, having missed them.

Tyreese's eyes met hers briefly from the back of the room as she stood, still full of anger and burning a hole right through her. Trying to ignore the guilt that washed over she kissed the top of the girls heads and sent them to sit with Beth. There would be time for a reunion when this was all over.

Nervously she went to sit beside Hershel not exactly enjoying being the center of attention.

Rick moved to stand at the center so everyone could hear. His loud voice belting out above the rest and the room fell silent.

"I can imagine a lot of you are wondering about what happened earlier." He wiped his brow. "Before any judgement is passed, I want you to go in to this with an open mind. We all know how living in this would can be and how easy it is to let your guard down and make a mistake. Karen and Dav-" His sentence was cut short to a loud noise that shook the building.

Everyone quickly ran to the windows to see what was going on as others made their way outside. One of the watch towers was now on fire and at the south fence stood the Governor with his army and... a tank.

Rick was first to the yard with his hands held high to seem less threatening as he walked toward him.

Daryl and Michonne followed on guard, staying out of sight.

Carl wheeled over a bin full of weapons. Those who knew how to fight took their pick and others ran for cover, on alert in case they had to leave in a hurry.

Carol joined Maggie by an outer wall closest to the building, propping her gun up to take the enemy in sight and Glenn and Hershel took stand across from them to the right.

No one could really hear what Rick and The Governor were saying, but soon all hell broke loose. Another shot from the tank was fired, taking out the remaining watch tower and then forward it drove. Rick quickly dove behind the over turned bus that lied near the gate and drew his weapon.

The fence was down in seconds, crushed beneath the tank's extreme weight as it tore through the mud and walkers started pouring in from the side lines. It was bad enough trying to stay alive as the dead walked and adding living enemies to the mix just created pure chaos.

Bullets were then coming from all directions. Forcing members of the prison to fall back.

Carol only ceased fire when she ran out of ammo and tossed the gun to the ground, bending to pull her knife from the leather strap around her calf.

"We have to go!" She yelled and took off running back inside the prison to find Mika and Lizzie. It didn't take long before she was out in the open again. The prison was over run with the flesh eaters. Too many to take out on her own.

Her heart sank as she scanned the area for any sign of the living. Maggie, Glenn and Hershel had all moved from their previous position leaving her standing alone with the dead on her trail.

She went on instinct to find a vehicle and saw Beth on the ground inches from having her throat ripped open. With a swift dash behind an up right pallet to dodge any gun fire, she reached her arm out and impaled the walker at the base of its skull with her knife. Beth screamed when the corpse fell against her, thinking she was done for.

Carol stood, kicking the body over and grabbed her hand, yanking her to her feet and continued running.

Beth drew back after a few steps and Jerked her hand away. "We have to find Judith and the kids."

Speaking of the children. "Have you seen the girls?" Last she remembered they had went to sit with her.

"I asked them to grab their things and help get the little ones ready. When I finally made it back to leave they weren't there. Was trying to make my way to the bus when I got attacked."

Beth's eyes were full of sadness and failure, scared to death as she thought about what could be happening to them. As much as Carol's senses were pulling at her to go back and look, the scene unfolding around them proved unlikely for survival if they didn't leave right now.

"Come on." Carol said, watching a small heard that was quickly closing in. Beth didn't budge.

"Bet-"

"Go!" Daryl called as he came running out of nowhere and grabbed the front of Beth's shirt to make her move.

The bus wasn't anywhere to be found by the time they reached the parking lot.

"No!" Beth cried, frantically searching with her eyes for her family. They were all gone and she didn't know if they had made it out alive. Panic set in and she was having trouble breathing.

Carol gently coaxed her by the shoulders to sit in the passenger seat of the grey station wagon, extremely grateful she hadn't had time to unpack it earlier.

Daryl hopped on his bike and set in motion to follow Carol as she drove away, until he heard a yell behind him.

"Wait!" He turned his head to see Carl standing there, covered in blood and out of breath.

"Get on." Daryl demanded.

"Have you seen my dad?" Carl asked with a hint of fear in his voice along with a stubborn look on his face.

"I ain't got time for this." Daryl leaned and grabbed Carl's arm in one quick movement pulling him to sit. He complied knowing it was his only chance.

Carl instantly shot two walkers that were standing in their way from where he sat, almost giving Daryl a heart attack at the sound so close to his ear.

"Fuck kid, a little warnin' next time." He couldn't really be mad though. The young man was a great shot.

Daryl looked up and could barely see Carol's tail lights going over the hill. He wasn't about to lose her again, not after everything. His hand turned the throttle and the back tire squealed as they weaved through the piles of dead bodies along the road to catch up, trying to avoid any of The Governor's men that were still living.

Carol just kept moving forward. She didn't see Daryl in her rear view mirror once they were off the grounds and she tensed. There was no way they could stop now and she prayed nothing bad had happened. The pain of loss ached down to her bones, but she kept a straight face. Trying to stay composed for Beth who was a mess of emotions in the seat beside her.

How had she lost the two people she gave a vowel to protect? How could she of been so careless to just run out of the building right in to danger without a second thought?_ What the hell is wrong with me?_

Her hands gripped the steering wheel and she clinched her jaw, trying to hold back tears of anger toward herself. She wouldn't cry, determined to be a stronger person. That was one thing she wasn't going back on. This world was too harsh for weakness.


	5. Chapter 5

Carl's hands tightly gripped the back Daryl's angel winged vest as they flew out the gate of the prison. He had never been on the back of a motorcycle, so his quick movements were making him nervous. The road was still covered in debris from never being used and he knew it was only a matter of a time before he hit something and lost control. He swallowed hard at the image and closed his eyes, cowering away from the view.

Alone with his mind racing behind the darkness of his eye lids, he thought about his dad. The last time he saw him, he had fallen to the ground shot in the leg. He was about to run over and help before getting swamped with walkers and trying to avoid getting shot himself. After he cleared a path he took one step and noticed Rick was no longer laying there. Every scenario ran through his mind. Had he gotten to cover? Did he get bit? Shot again?

Daryl felt the boy's grip tighten even further and his head fall against his back. He knew this time it wasn't because he was afraid, but because he was hurting. The only thing Daryl could do without stopping was lower a hand and grip his small knee. Offer support to the kid who may of just lost his father. His own was a piece of shit and he hadn't shed a tear when he passed, but Rick was a good man and treated Carl right. He respected him, even after banishing Carol.

"Jesus." Daryl murmured to himself wondering just how fast Carol was driving. She was still in sight, but it seemed like it was taking forever to get caught up.

Finally her brake lights lit and she pulled over, seeing him after checking the mirror again. He parked beside her and told Carl to get in the car as he leaned against the door to speak to her.

"She alright?" He asked looking in the direction of Beth, who was pale and staring blankly at nothing.

Carol shrugged, worried. "Hasn't said a word since we left."

"Prolly in shock." Guilt set in as he stared at her helplessly. The last time they had spoken he wasn't in the mood for conversation and hurt her feelings. There was no way she would accept him right now if he tried anything.

He looked back at Carol. "Are you hurt? Need anything?" His eyes met Carl also. "Same goes for you."

Carl just shook his head and looked away, keeping quiet.

Carol noticed his behavior and was surprised to see him at all. Something terrible must of happened. She shook her head as well. The only thing hurting was her arm from the cut window the other day. Guess they would have to find a new plan to care for it since Hershel wasn't around.

"Where are we suppose to go?" She asked.

Daryl stood straight, looking down both directions of the road, trying to remember if they had an escape plan. Nothing came to mind, even though he was almost positive it had been discussed at one point.

"Not sure." He sighed getting back on his bike. "Just follow me." He'd wing it. Drive until they saw something reliable and search for others in the morning. The daylight would be gone within a few hours.

Most places they had already picked through in the surrounding area within 5 miles and were either over run or dilapidated. Daryl didn't really want to go too far from the prison so it would be easier to find survivors, but it wasn't looking like they had any other choice.

He spotted a small 3 story hotel in the distance a ways down the road and stopped in the parking lot. There was always the chance a building that size held a good amount of walkers, but figured as long as it had been, many may have cleared out. Around the building itself only had a couple lingering. The height would give them the sight needed to protect themselves from another attack, dead or living, and offered a way to make sure none of their missing group went by unnoticed.

"Carl?" Daryl called through the window in the back seat of the car. He looked up and met his eyes, still holding a gutted expression.

"Gonna need yer help."

Without hesitation Carl stepped out. Even emotionally drained, he knew he had a job to do. Now that his father was gone he was going to protect them the best he could. That was a promise he made to himself. Knowing this was now his family.

After making sure Carol was in a decent position to keep an eye on Beth, Daryl and Carl headed toward the hotel. The building had broken windows on the lower floors, but everything on up looked to be in good shape. Carl went one way and Daryl around the other as they cleaned the grounds of the stragglers before going inside. This was the dangerous part and Daryl took the lead. He was very good at judging a walkers distance from himself in the dark, listening to the shuffling and groans, it was just a matter of actually hitting their head with an arrow that proved difficult. Thankfully he always carried a knife.

Emergency fire doors had been closed in one section of the building holding back around a dozen walkers, not enough to be a bother as they were locked in and they proceeded to the second floor. The stair well was dark since it lacked windows and Daryl pulled out his zippo, his eyes taking a minute to adjust to the change in light. Carl yelped and jumped when a walker appeared only inches away from them, causing him to slip back on the stairs, startled. Daryl quickly grabbed the front of his shirt to keep him from falling and stabbed the flesh eater through its eye.

He let his shirt go and paused, leaning so he was eye level with the boy. "Come on kid, get yerself together. I need you to be sharp and on yer toes." Daryl tried to encourage him.

Carl blinked and nodded. "Sorry." Sighing he gripped the handle of his gun and aimed toward the door as Daryl opened it.

Surprisingly there were very few walkers in the building and the upper level rooms seemed untouched and clean. Daryl cleared out a room that looked promising and sent Carl to bring the ladies inside.

The room was a master suite and had two bed rooms with queen sized beds, along with a mini fridge and cupboard filled with snacks, water, alcohol and a first aid kid mounted on the wall. He lifted the shades in the room to gain ideal lightening before it got dark and gathered candles from the other suites.

Daryl caught Carol and Beth in the hallway, Carl not far behind and showed them where to go. They carried their bags inside as he finished ransacking the other rooms and closed the door behind them upon returning.

After dumping the supplies he gathered onto the counter Daryl sighed and sat down on the couch, lazily rubbing his temples as he felt a headache brewing, the day had been exhausting.

Carl went to silently sit by the window in hopes he would see someone familiar coming down the road. Beth headed to one of the bedrooms and shut the door, still with her zoned out existence, and Carol stood quietly at the counter watching as no one said a word.

Trying not to worry or think about the girls, Carol started going through their supplies to distract herself.

"Need a hand?" Daryl asked, finally breaking the silence as he walked over. His voice was soft and she could tell just how tired he was when she looked at him. The bags under his eyes didn't hide the stress.

"Why don't you get some rest." Carol demanded, concerned for his health.

"I'm fine." He lied. Knowing he could use a good nights sleep, but wasn't going to let them out of his sight.

She huffed and dropped a pack of crackers. "Dar-."

"Stop." He cut her off holding up his hand. "Don't need a speech."

Sighing she let it go and rolled her eyes at his stubbornness. "Will you eat at least?"

Groaning he grabbed the pack of crackers she dropped and shoved one in his mouth. "Happy?" He said while chewing.

Carol smiled slightly and grabbed him a bottle of water. Her arm still needed tending to so she picked up the first aid kit, looking for anything to clean out the wound as he sat there at the counter and watched.

The cut had already started to scab which was a good thing. Meant it was shallow enough to heal on its own, she only had to prevent infection.

Sobbing from behind the closed bedroom door turned the attention of everyone in the room and Carol asked if Carl would go check on Beth. Trying to finish wrapping her arm.

"Get out!" Beth yelled and slammed the door in Carl's face. Leaving him standing there terrified.

Carol moved to walk over still holding the bandage and Daryl stopped her. "I got it." He said while standing, knowing she needed to finish with her arm. There was a good chance she wasn't going to speak to him either, but he had to try.

He went to knock on the door, pushing past Carl who went back to the window. "Beth?"

"Leave me alone." She hissed and continued to cry.

He didn't ask again and opened the door. Beth was curled up against the head board on the bed with her knees drawn to her chest. "Go away." She grumbled.

Daryl pushed it shut as he entered and stood at the edge of the bed. "Only tryin to help."

"Why do you care?"

Her glare made his chest tighten. Hating he had yelled at her back at the prison. "Cause yer family." That was something he took to heart. Everyone left he had met back at the quarry, to the Greene's farm he considered family. They were closer to him than anyone had ever been from his own blood relation.

She scoffed. "I have no family..."

"Don't say that." He gently sat beside her on the bed and tried to get her to look at him. "We'll find them."

Beth's eyes met his, bloodshot and swollen from her violent sobs and he swallowed hard, feeling her emotions.

"It's not fair." Her head dropped against her arms that were rested on her knees, starting to feel sick at being so worked up.

Still not used to dealing with a woman crying he lifted his hand to rest on her shoulder softly. His whole body tensing when she swiftly moved to his side and wrapped her arms around his neck. The action making him uncomfortable as she shook against him and he awkwardly held her.

"It's gonna be ok." Daryl whispered. Trying to calm her down.

He sat with her like that until her cries grew silent and she stilled, falling asleep. He sighed in relief and leaned his head back against the wall, shutting his eyes as he carefully stroked her hair, not even realizing he was doing it.

Carol quietly opened the door after a long time of not hearing either of them speak and Daryl didn't move, unaware of her presence.

She couldn't help but smile at the sight of Beth half way in his lap as he tried to comfort her. He looked cramped and tense in the position, but knew he wouldn't leave to keep her sleeping. He was a good man even if he tried so hard to hide it behind his hard, cold mask.

Carol closed the door back and went to drape a blanket around Carl who fell asleep on the floor sitting up by the window. Then she took full advantage of the comfy bed in the other room. Sliding under the covers and sighing at the warm, soft sheet against her skin. Didn't take long before she was out too.

Daryl heard something outside of their hotel room and he opened his eyes, never actually going to sleep, his persisting headache wasn't going to allow it. With a gentle shift he slid out from under Beth and she rolled over to snuggle against a pillow. He could only assume a few hours had passed since he couldn't see a thing other than the faint light of the moon through the curtains. After several moments of shuffling around in the dark he found a flashlight in the pile of things on the counter.

Carol was already standing there having heard the sound also and was lighting candles. She had become a very light sleeper since the end of days.

"You look terrible." She noted as he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"Thanks." Daryl grumbled and squeezed his eyes shut trying to ease the nails jabbing into his skull.

"Whats wrong?"

Growling he ran a hand through his hair in pain. "Just a headache." His whole body actually hurt from stress and being worn out, but the noise outside the room was becoming more of a problem. He grabbed his knife and bow, along with the flashlight and went over to the door, Carol followed already prepared.

They both went into the hallway, making sure the door shut behind them to keep the others safe and shined the light out in the distance. Carol held her knife in one hand and a pistol in the other as she moved with Daryl a few steps, his crossbow drawn with the flashlight in the hand he'd use to fire.

When the light shined down the other direction of the hall they could see the small hoard of walkers coming out of the stair well. The fire doors holding the ones back before had broken free and they were coming their way fast.

Carol roughly grabbed the back of Daryl's vest and pulled them into the room next to theirs when he was missing shots, which caused them to get closer, something that rarely ever happened. He stumbled, his head swimming with exhaustion and tripped on the door jam. The side of his face collided with the edge of a table that was against the wall beside the door as he fell, knocking him unconscious.

"Daryl!" Carol yelled when he wouldn't get up and fired off a few rounds as more quickly approached. She went to grab his arm and drag him across the room, it taking every ounce of her energy to only move him a few feet and she grunted as her sweaty hands slid off his arm.

There wasn't time to try and get him further as the walkers started piling through the door way. Her only option was to continue shooting while placing herself between Daryl and them. When she ran out of ammo she smashed the butt end of the gun into ones face while stabbing another with her knife into the side of its head, but they just kept coming. Knocking her down as she frantically tried to keep them from Daryl who was still laying on the floor right behind her, she could feel him pressed against her back.

She managed to grab one by the throat as it lunged, snapping its jaws to try and bite her, but she couldn't fight them all. Kicking her legs against the ones chest she held created some distance momentarily as she tried to hold it back, her fingers starting to slide into the rotting flesh making her grip loosen. More pushed from behind taking a toll on her strength. Her elbows slowly started to buckle and she screamed in frustration, trying to find any last bit of energy in her tiny arms.

The walkers blood splattered against her face before she heard the shot and froze. More shots echoed through her head as bodies hit the floor one by one.

Carl stood in the doorway as the last one fell and she wiped her face with a sigh, shoving the corpse away from her. "Thank you...thank you." She whispered, breathless.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for the continued support! I honestly didn't have any ideas planned after chapter three, so I've just been going with the flow since. Hope that's alright!**

...

Carol moved over to check on Daryl, who she was still leaning against and gently brushed his shaggy hair away from his eyes, wanting to get a better look at where he hit his head. He had hit right above his temple and the cut was small with little bruising, but the fact he was unconscious frightened her.

Daryl?" She spoke softly while stroking his cheek trying to get anything out of him. Nothing.

Carl walked over to stand at her side. "Is he going to be alright?"

Seeing him laying there so lifeless made her feel sick with worry. Even after he impaled himself on an arrow and Andrea shot him, he had still been moving around and talking. She nodded for Carl to not scare him, but honestly didn't know what was going to happen. If he'd ever wake up again, suffer some kind of horrible head trauma, or be permanently damaged in some way.

Carol stood and went to grab the sheet off the bed laying it on the floor beside his body.

"Can you help me get him back to our room?" She asked Carl.

"Of course." He replied and they rolled Daryl onto the sheet carefully so it would be easier to move him. After clearing a path from the decaying bodies everywhere they gently pulled on the sheet and slid him back to the room.

Beth jumped up when they entered and ran over. She had been impatiently waiting for someone to return or a sign it was all clear, anything. The shots had woken her and Carl both from their sleep and she was keeping watch while he tried to find them. When she saw Daryl laying there she instantly thought he was dead and panic once again set in.

"What happened?!" She asked on the verge of freaking out.

"Help us get him on the bed." Carol demanded, ignoring her question for the moment. There wasn't time right then for her to deal with Beth's hysteria and making sure Daryl was taken care of.

With everyone's strength they were able to get him centered in the bed and Carol went to grab the first aid kit. She listened a minute as Carl explained to Beth what had happened and closed her eyes pausing at the counter. Remembering how close she had come to getting bit and reached up to lightly touch her neck as she took in a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She lowered her elbows against the surface and dropped her head into her palms as everything became extremely overwhelming. From the start of Tyreese's attack, Daryl getting upset at her, the prison falling, Lizzie and Mika being torn out of her life and now watching the man she cared about suffer because she carelessly jerked him back and made him trip. She bit her lip to hold back a sob and slid her fingers through her hair. She wouldn't cry. There were still people who needed her and someone had to have their shit together.

Carol went back to him after sending Beth and Carl out of the room and started cleaning his cut. Needing the time alone to make sure everything was done right and that she didn't miss anything. Plus she didn't exactly want to bother answering questions and dealing with more worry.

The longer she looked at his lifeless body and expressionless face the harder it became to not break.

"Please don't leave me..." She whispered leaning more into a laying position as she reached up to touch his cheek. Caressing down his neck and over to the back of his head, while resting her thumb along his jaw line. Never looking away.

"Please..."

Retracting her arm from his face she reached down to grab his hand, squeezing it desperately. Begging him not to go. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes tight as tears quickly spilled over. There was no way she was going to stay strong this time.

"You're all I have left... I need you." Her voice choked as she tried to speak, bringing his hand up to her mouth to kiss his knuckles. The pain she was feeling was quickly taking over every part of her body and she began to sob, moving to lay her head on his chest as she continued to look up at him.

"I love you." She spoke softly through her crying, praying to anyone who would listen for him to be alright. It was the first time those words had been spoken out loud between the two of them.

...

_Daryl was back in the prison. At least that's where he thought he was. The more he looked he realized he was in the basement of all places, only it seemed slightly different. It was dark and the only light was coming from very dim candles mounted along the walls, flickering from a shallow breeze._

_He heard crying and froze, trying to figure out what direction it was coming from and took off running. The only thing he accomplished was to get turned around and lead back to where he had just come from._

_"What the hell?" He mumbled to himself. There wasn't an exit. No stairs, no doors. Just empty rooms and long hall ways._

_"Please don't leave me..." A voice echoed through the air._

_His chest tightened at the distress of the words. "Carol?" There was no denying it was her._

_The sobs grew louder and he started running again, frantically searching every corner and room he came to. "Carol!"_

_Nothing._

_"What the fuck is goin' on!?" He yelled in frustration, feeling like he had been there for days._

_Groaning from behind his ear made him jump and when he turned hundreds of walkers were closing in. "You've gotta be kiddin' me." He growled and backed away, trying to fight off as many as he could, but only managed to get over run. As he was laying there stabbing one up under its chin he saw a figure on the floor in the room close by. It was Carol._

_When he looked back to move the body off him it was gone. All of them were gone... He started to wonder if he had taken some kind of drug and was losing his mind. She was still there though and that's all he cared about. He went to her._

_She was curled up in a ball in the corner, looking scared to death. Like she had lost Sophia all over again. He reached out to touch her shoulder and she instantly went to him and crushed her lips to his._

...

Daryl's eyes opened slightly. Everything was cloudy and hard to make out, but he still had lips on him and was no longer in a dark place. That much he knew was real and his only instinct was to move his mouth against them. It felt amazing, calming, until he went to deepen the kiss and noticed something was off. His hand slid over their cheek and he pulled away only enough to speak. Still unable to see through the haze. "Carol?"

He closed his eyes trying to become more focused and when his hand moved further he felt long hair and paused. Jerking his eyes back open with a much clearer view.

"Beth?" The blond locks tangled in his fingers made his heart jump and he quickly moved away. "Beth...what...no." Was all he could get out. It wasn't that he was disgusted or anything, just really shocked she had kissed him...or had he kissed her?

"What just happened?" He asked with a groan while rubbing his eyes.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry." Beth stood now a little hurt at his rejection. She had always had a crush on him, but knew he'd never be interested. Everything was just as confusion to her right then as it was to him. "I was just laying there in case you woke up, to keep you company and you... you just grabbed me."

Daryl sighed. Not having a clue what to say her. As far he knew the kiss had been pleasant and he enjoyed every bit of it, but it was Beth. If he admitted that to keep from hurting her feelings there might be thoughts neither one of them needed to have. It was his fault it happened in the first place, so he'd have to find a way to talk to her.

"Wheres Carol?" Was all he could think to say.

Beth huffed slightly and left the room.

Daryl dropped his head into his hands to get his thoughts together and noticed the smell of soap. Curiously he looked himself over and realized he was shirtless, had no shoes, and was a lot cleaner than he remembered being. He moved the covers to make sure he still had pants and breathed in relief when he did. Not wanting to think anyone had seen him in the nude while he hadn't been there mentally.

The door flung open then and Carol stopped in her tracks, just looking at him as her hand quickly covered her mouth and tears filled her eyes.

"Please don't cry." Daryl said from the bed. The stuff with Beth had already been enough.

She laughed and wiped her face, walking over to him. "Sorry, just happy you're awake."

The bed creaked when she went to sit down beside him, leaning against the headboard. "So, what did you do this time to upset her?"

His brow raised, confused.

"Beth?"

He tensed at the reminder. "Apparently I kissed her..." Admitting with a sigh.

"Apparently?" That was definitely not the answer she was expecting, but couldn't help chuckle a little after thinking about it. The look on his face was amusing.

"I thought it was you." He growled, not enjoying her picking on him.

She grinned. "Guess I can't be mad about it then."

"You'd care otherwise?" He challenged.

"If an eighteen year old girl lured away my man? You're damn right." She said with a teasing pinch to his upper arm and a grin crossed his face at her calling him 'her man'. He'd never been in that position before.

"Come here." He said while grabbing her shoulder to pull her against his lips softly. She eagerly gave in and gripped the back of his hair, gently taking their time to kiss one another. They only fell apart after he bit her lower lip so he could speak.

"Now that feels right." His voice was a whisper, glad to of claimed the right woman this time.

Carol just smiled and rest her forehead against his. Secretly thanking the heavens he was sitting there with her having this conversation.

Daryl idly ran his fingers through her hair and over her back, just wanting to feel that she was real. Whatever dream world he had been stuck in before was still giving him chills and causing an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He kissed her forehead and pulled back enough to catch her eyes.

"How longs it been?" He asked.

"Two days." Her eyes drifted away from his after she answered, moving her hand to play with a piece of string hanging off the blanket. "Which reminds me I should probably apologize for causing this to start with."

He reached out to place his hand under her chin to get her to face him. "What ya mean?"

She hesitated, but met his eyes once again, feeling guilty. "I shouldn't have jerked you back."

It took a minute, but he finally started remembering right before he fell. His headache and lack of sleep was the cause of him not hitting the target, putting their life in danger. "You only did what you needed to protect us."

Sighing she let it go, giving him a simple nod.

Unable to bare the look on her face he playfully lunged forward and bit her neck, pushing her down onto the bed while holding her wrist above her head. Which caused her to yelp in surprise and start laughing. _Well that was a change of pace_ she thought.

Carl ran over to the room when he heard Carol, thinking something had happened and the sight he took in was far from pleasing. "Oh gross." He grimaced and Daryl quickly sat up throwing a pillow at the door, slamming it shut.

Beth came out of the bathroom wondering what all the commotion was about and Carl had to stop her as she walked over to their door. "I wouldn't go in there." He said still with a disgusted look on his face.

"Why...?" She paused.

Carl shook his head. "You don't wanna know."

Beth's lip twitched as she could only imagine what they were doing. A hint of jealously washing over. "Don't they know there are more important things to worry about right now? Like finding our family? Gathering more supplies? Last I checked we were running low on everything." She rubbed her neck and went over to grab a hand gun and a knife.

"What are you doing?" Carl asked moving closer to her.

"What they should be doing." With that she turned and opened the door out to the hallway.

"You can't go out there alone."

"Then come with me." She rolled her eyes and kept walking.

Carl wasn't about to let her walk out in to danger without him. He knew she wasn't the best at shooting and he'd never really seen her take on a walker one on one. Quickly he followed after her.


	7. Chapter 7

"Well that was rude." Carol joked.

Daryl scoffed. "Kid's gotta learn to mind his own damn business."

She lightly smacked him against the chest. "Be nice." She frowned.

He just grinned at her pouty lip and dipped his head to suck it into his mouth. The only thing he was concerned about right then was her, not some peeping tom.

She smiled against his lips and grabbed his face, sliding her tongue across his in a long slow movement, causing him to buckle slightly and fall to his elbows over top of her. He shifted his body in a more comfortable position then. Placing a knee between her legs and his other beside her waist, making sure to never leave her mouth. Trying to enjoy the moment of being slow and tender with their kiss as long as possible.

He reached up with his right hand, keeping his weight on his other elbow to not crush her and carefully slid the shoulder strap of her tank-top down her arm. Moving away with soft kisses across her cheek until he could reach her neck where it met her shoulder. At first burying his face there to take in her scent then sucking lightly, causing her to shiver beneath him.

Daryl's hand drifted lower. Lazily touching her side through her shirt until it rested right above her waist line where he teased the skin, sliding a finger under her jeans. Doing all this while kissing back up to her mouth and stopping along the way to nip at her jaw. She gasped and gripped his hair.

The sound she made was right in his ear and he groaned loudly, biting the inside of his cheek. It had been a long time since he was with a woman this way and every little movement or sound set him on edge. He curled his finger where it was on her jeans and tugged as he thrust against her hip, revealing his noticeable erection. This time she moaned and he almost lost it.

After taking a minute to get himself together he slid his hand under her shirt. Slowly dragging his shaky knuckles along her side, while bringing the hem up with him. He tensed when she grabbed his wrist and stopped him, breaking the kiss they were in the middle of.

"Stop..." She said and he moved his head to meet her eyes. They were full of fear and he didn't understand.

"Whats wrong?" He asked concerned.

The many years of abuse she had suffered with Ed had taken a toll on her body and she was reluctant to let anyone see what she had endured. Not finding herself attractive anymore and not wanting to allow her scars of the past to remind him of her poor choices.

"I'm scared..." She admitted in a soft voice. A little embarrassed.

"Of me?" He asked and started to retreat his body. Her grip on his wrist only got tighter, keeping him there.

She shook her head. "Of what you'll think of me."

Daryl was swimming in a world of confusion. Not knowing how this woman laying beneath him couldn't think highly of herself.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

Her eyes closed and she swallowed hard as she leaned forward, reaching down to pull her shirt over her head. Never saying a word as she dropped it onto the floor and waited for him to run away.

Daryl quietly watched and finally took in what she meant as he scanned the places of her body he'd never seen before. A part of his gut tightened as he focused on a scar above her breast. It looked like a burn from an iron and he grew angry thinking about what Ed had used her for. There was another along her ribs and he could only imagine she'd been beat with a belt since smaller ones were present around it. How a man could ever harm the innocent woman she was, baffled him. Sure he had his own scars and dealt with his deal of abuse from his father, but usually he asked for it. Having a smart mouth or not listening. If Carol were to breathe wrong Ed would drag her away from the camp and lay into her. It wasn't fair, but only proved she was stronger than she gave herself credit for. She had thrown herself into the fire time and time again just to keep him away from Sophia and her fear of leaving had kept her there to deal with it for almost fifteen years.

She still had her eyes closed when he looked up.

"You're beautiful." He said in a whisper, meaning it in more than one way. From deep within her tiny body to the outside of her skin. Everything about her was perfect.

Carol's face instantly fell and silent tears crashed down. Sophia was the only person to tell her that throughout her whole marriage and to hear Daryl say it made her heart ache. It was a side of him she knew he never showed anyone and was grateful he had opened up enough to trust her with his feelings.

"Look at me." His hand stroked her face and she slowly opened her watery eyes.

"You're far better a person than that piece of shit ever deserved." Daryl wanted her to know this. If not now he was determined to make sure she heard it every day. To make her see the wonderful person she was.

Carol gained more courage then and roughly pulled him against her mouth, making him growl as he ravaged her lips. She didn't want this moment to be remembered with her crying and being weak.

Daryl's hand stumbled as he tried to reach around and unhook her bra. It was the end of the world and he could shoot a walker through the eye from yards away, but when it came to a piece of women's clothing he was at a loss. He grumbled in defeat and had her help him.

She couldn't hold back laughing at his inexperience, but willingly helped thinking it was cute. Cuter than the glare her gave her right before dropping his head and biting her now exposed nipple. Quickly that turned her laughter into a gasp and it sent a thrill through out her body.

Daryl took his time to swirl his tongue around her nipple to relieve the pain from his bite and nervously squeezed her breast that was lacking attention with his calloused hand. She thrust her chest against him in response, taking note of his shaking and reached up to slid her hands down his muscular arms for reassurance. His inviting fit body caused her to take her time rubbing down his back. Trying to feel every part of it as he moved to the button of her jeans. She instinctively tensed again, having to take in a deep breath to calm down.

Daryl gave her a moment and met her eyes. Keeping contact to distract her while he went back to unzipping her pants. Making sure his movements were slow and careful.

All this time he assumed he'd be the one pulling away, scared to be touched by anyone. Before the world went to shit he had only ever been with a handful of different women. Usually he was drunk to the point it was sloppy and only in it for a quick fix or the girl was so messed up on drugs it was like fucking a lifeless being. This was the first time he was given the chance take it slow and actually make love. Plus he cared about Carol more than he ever had anyone and wanted to be the man she saw in him.

He broke eye contact finally to kiss her passionately. Still attempting to distract her while he pulled her pants and underwear down, tossing it to the floor with the rest of her clothes. Once she was completely naked he couldn't wait to see all of her and pulled back. Knowing she would get embarrassed at him just staring, but he did it anyways.

There were more scars across one of her thighs that looked like they came from finger nails and he really hoped they weren't signs of rape. Not that he would put it past Ed, knowing he was more than capable of the act, he just didn't want to believe it was true.

His hand lightly touched them and she moved her leg away, causing him to meet her eyes. She had a look of distress across her face as if remembering something unpleasant.

"Did he-"

"Don't" Carol cut him off, not wanting to talk about it.

"Carol..." His voice trailed, moving his hand back to her leg and gripped her thigh over the scars gently. "That is not me. Id never do somethin' like this to you." Referring to the previous wounds under his hand. "We don't have to do any of this if you ain't ready." He continued.

"I want this, I want you. I just don't want to talk about anything that son of a bitch ever did to me." She wasn't mad. In fact she was happier there with him alone in that hotel room than she had been in a very long time.

"Just relax." He said with a quick kiss and quickly grabbed her hand when she went for his belt buckle. "Now lie back and stop tryin' to undress me." He insisted and she willingly did as instructed.

He took his time to kiss and suck down her body. Between her breasts, over her ribs, belly button and hip. Moving along to kiss her inner thighs before meeting her center. She was a quivering mess already and he'd barely touched her. Something told him she'd probably never had anyone do this for her and he grinned at being the first.

His tongue lightly slid across her entrance and he could feel her shiver, but she didn't make a sound. To put her to the test he stayed there a minute just teasing her and finally sucked gently on her clit, jackpot. Her hips flexed and her hands were gripping his head in an instant. She let out the most sexy moan he had ever heard and his cock twitched against the bed, causing him to groan loudly against her.

After several minutes of pleasuring her he had to pull away. He was going to lose his load right there in his pants if he kept it up. In one swift movement he slid back up her body to face her.

"You're so fuckin' sexy." He said breathless as he frantically tried to get his belt undone.

Carol blushed and reached up to help him to only be stopped like before. He already had his pants undone and pushed down before she got to him and he grabbed her wrist placing them above her head as he carefully thrust past her tight, wet opening. He had to crush his lips to hers to hide the growl that rumbled up his throat.

He knew it had been a while since either of them had been with another like this, but the way her muscles were clamped around his cock one would assume she had never had a kid, or sex for that matter.

She wrapped a leg over his hip as he set a slow but steady pace and fought to free her hands, but he didn't budge. Knowing if he let her touch him it would be over in a second.

"I won't last." He spoke, just so she knew he wasn't holding her down for any other reason.

She gave him a stubborn look and wrapped her other leg around him, forcefully pulling him deeper inside since she couldn't do anything else.

"Fuck." He gasped and dropped his head to her shoulder, biting down on it to try and hold back with his eyes shut tight, his body trembling slightly.

"I don't want you to last." She whispered and he let her hands go. One instantly fell to grip his hair, while the other scratched down his back.

With a few more thrust he moved to rub her clit gently as he fell over the edge, her crashing right behind him, both in pure ecstasy.

He slumped against her once his hips stilled, trying to catch his breath while he listened to her heart pounding against her chest.

"Thank you." Carol said in a sweet voice.

He looked up from where he was laying. "For what?"

She smiled at his worn out expression. "For caring about me, and not making this all about you."

"Always." He knew what she meant by it. Implying all Ed ever did was get off and could care less if she was satisfied. Leaving a kiss above her breasts he moved to stand and get cleaned up after they had been laying there forever. Both getting lost in each other and completely forgetting the world was still falling apart around them.

She went to head to the bathroom after getting dressed.

"Hey, Carol..." Daryl spoke before she closed the door. "I love you too." He said with a grin and walked out of the room.

Her hand flew to her mouth and she smiled wide. Had he really heard her talking to him while he was unconscious?


	8. Chapter 8

**Just a bit of a filler chapter while I try to figure out where to take the story. :)**

**...**

"Beth?" Carl called from behind. "Beth, hold on." He grabbed her shoulder.

"What?" She snapped getting angry and turned to face him.

"Where are we going?"

Beth huffed. "I already told you, to find more supplies."

He stopped her once again as she approached the door that lead outside. "That doesn't explain where we are going, just what we are doing."

She sighed and pointed across the parking lot. "See all those buildings and little shops over there?"

Carl nodded.

"Seems like a great place to start."

"This is a stupid idea." He said while shaking his head. Knowing he could handle walkers on his own to a point, but having more numbers on their side in a situation was always better than just the two of them. Everything about this gave him an uneasy feeling.

"No one forced you to tag along." Beth glared, her behavior off. She was usually really quiet and accepting, but something about the incident with Daryl really changed her mood. She wasn't sure if it was rejection or jealousy fueling her anger. All she knew was she had to do something to provide for them since neither him or Carol were making an effort.

Carl moved to stand between her and the exit now. "Why don't we just wait until Daryl can come with us?"

"We don't need him." She scoffed and reached to push the door open. He wouldn't move. "Get out of my way."

"No." He shifted to grab her wrist gently to pull it away from the handle. "You're gonna get yourself killed."

Beth jerked her hand away from him and stepped closer, looking down into his eyes. All he was doing was irritating her further. She shoved him away with a hard push and walked outside where it was starting to rain.

Carl was pretty smart for his age and had known Beth long enough to tell she was going to regret this decision later on. He wasn't sure why she was doing it, just knew something wasn't right. The shove surprised him, but he was quick to go after her. "Why are you acting like this?" He asked while grabbing her arm, pulling her back to make her stop.

She swung around and hit him right in the face, knocking him to the wet pavement and took off running.

Before he even realized what happened he was falling to the ground and the side of his face was throbbing. She may of been a girl, but hit pretty damn hard. Once he was past the shock of her hitting him, he stood, trying to see where she had gone through the now heavy rain. It was impossible to make out anything more than two feet away. "Beth!"

...

Daryl heard thunder after he left the bedroom and walked over to the window to see it was cloudy and pouring outside. He hadn't even noticed Carl and Beth weren't in the room anymore until Carl walked through the door soaking wet. That's when he looked around and didn't see anyone else.

"Wheres Beth?"

Carl was winded from running up the stairs. "She took off. I tried to stop her." He said breathless, reaching to wipe his wet face and noticed he was bleeding from a small cut she had created.

Daryl panicked a little then. "Why the hell would she do that?!" He growled and went to find his bow.

Carol came out of the room to see what the yelling was about and saw Daryl grabbing his gear. "What's going on?" She asked worried.

"Beth said since you two weren't doing anything to help take care of us that she was going to..." Carl spoke up.

"She couldn't wait?" Daryl was pissed now as he slid his knife into its holster on his belt. He really cared about Beth, but this kind of recklessness wasn't going to fly with him and now he was going to have to go find her.

Carol walked over as he was about to leave. "Are you sure this is a good idea? You've only been awake a few hours. Carl and I can go look for her."

"I got it." He said and walked out the door.

Carol sighed and dropped her hands in disbelief. There was no reason for her to get mad though, as this was the side of Daryl she knew best. She noticed Carl bleeding and her motherly instincts took over. Going to grab a towel and a dry pair of clothes.

"Here, go get cleaned up. We can't afford for you to get sick." She said while handing him the clothes. Carl was more than capable of taking care of himself and knew he didn't need to be treated like a baby, but she didn't want him to lose sight of the fact he was indeed a kid. He still had a lot to learn and she honestly didn't want to watch him live in this world missing out on enjoying a childhood. She knew he'd never have a normal one, but she couldn't help but hope.

Carl came back once he was changed and she pulled him over to sit on a stool at the counter. "So how'd this happen?" She asked, looking at the cut on his cheek.

"Beth hit me." He said embarrassed.

"For trying to stop her?" She handed him something to eat while she stood there munching on a granola bar.

He took the food and nodded.

"You did the right thing. I'm proud of you." Carol smiled for him as they both sat there and ate quietly. Carl had a record of not listening and wanting to be independent, so she really was proud he actually thought about something before doing it. It was a part of growing up in this world that was important.

...

When Daryl walked out into the rain he realized how hard it was to hear anything other than the water crashing down all around. If a person or the dead were to sneak up on you, you wouldn't notice until it was too late and he sighed. Knowing it was going to be difficult to find her and not get blind sided. Thankfully the area hadn't had many walkers to start with.

He started with the little shops across the street since that's where he would of went looking for supplies. Quickly he moved through the rain and darted under a canape in front of a store and shivered. Once you were actually soaking wet it was a bit chilly out.

The bell on the door chattered against the glass as he walked inside and he drew his bow. Inside was a bit easier to hear if anything was moving around. "Beth?" He called just so she knew it was him if she was there. It was a clothing store that looked to already of been ransacked, leaving very few options left to choose from.

Daryl winced and stopped moving when his head started spinning like it had the night he fell. He knew he shouldn't of been out there running around while he still may of been injured, but he had to protect Beth and bring her back safely. After shaking his head and clearing the haze he went to check next door. On the way there he had to stop again. Leaning against the brick wall of the building he reached up to grab his head and groaned in frustration. The whole time he was with Carol and moving around he felt perfectly fine, why did this have to start now?

A gun shot echoing off the buildings made him snap his head up and take off running. He stopped when he saw Beth standing in a bakery filling her bag. Acting like it was a normal day shopping and she hadn't just shot a walker through its head. With anger he jerked the door open and stalked over to her. "What are you doing?"

She jumped slightly at his words and glared, going back to looking through the canned goods on the wall. "What's it look like?"

His eye brow raised. "Looks like you just called every walker for miles to come have a snack." The gun shot was sure to draw in more of them from the surrounding areas.

"Someone has to feed us and be responsible."

Daryl walked over and took the can out of her hand she had just picked up. "What are you goin' on about?"

She let him take it and sighed. "Why don't you go back to Carol and leave me alone?"

"Cus I care about you." He said while setting the can down. His stomach started to feel uneasy.

Beth laughed. "You say that to all the women you kiss?"

"Beth..." He paused as he grew dizzy and bile started to rise, quickly moving away from her to throw up. Once he was good to speak again and the cramping in his stomach faded, he stood straight and wiped his mouth. "That was a mistake." They had to leave there soon or he wasn't going to make it back feeling this terrible.

She stepped to the side when he turned his head. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Lets go." He lied. In all honesty he felt like he was going to throw up again and his head was killing him.

"I'm not finished." She huffed.

Daryl stopped as he was walking toward the door and grumbled. "We don't have time for this."

She continued grabbing food, ignoring the fact he wanted them to leave. "I was doing perfectly fine before you showed up and I've only seen one walker."

"We can come back later once we have a plan." He was growing restless and kept looking out the window to make sure a heard didn't randomly show up from the sound of the shot.

Beth slammed something against the ground. "I can take care of myself!"

Daryl narrowed his eyes and walked over to her, getting in her face. "Whats this really about?"

She tensed then and coward away. "Wha-"

"No." He growled cutting her off. "Get it out." The pain in his head made him winch but he didn't break eye contact.

"Why her?" Beth asked with a slight glare in her expression.

Daryl bit his tongue with a grin and shook his head. "Seriously? All this over that?" He crossed an arm over his chest and ran a hand through his hair, unsure of how to answer. Did she really have feelings for him so deep it would cause her to act like this? "We need to go." Was all he said while grabbing her hand and dragging her outside where it was still raining.

"Let go!" She yelled and jerked away. "Why cant you answer me?!"

He snapped, feeling like complete shit and dealing with her childish game was making him see red. Without a word he slung her over his shoulder and walked back to the hotel. She kicked and hit on him the whole time until they made it back to the room.

The door flung open and he threw down his bow, which made it go off and shoot an arrow into the wall inches away from where Carl was sitting, causing him to jump up almost having a heart attack. He tossed Beth onto the couch before he walked into the bathroom and slammed the door. Quickly moving to the toilet to throw up again.

Carol stood there in shock as she watched and Carl had the same expression across his face when he looked back over to the arrow that barely missed him. Then they both looked over to Beth trying to figure out what just happened.

"Is he okay?" Carl asked, everyone able to hear Daryl puking.

"He should of never left..." Carol said softly, but nodded at Carl. "It's normal for someone who suffers a concussion to have nausea. He needs to rest and take it easy for a few days" She was fixed on Beth then. "What were you thinking?"

She started to feel bad. Knowing she should of never put him through that. "I'm just tired of everyone thinking I'm useless and weak. I'm capable of helping."

"Sweetie no one thinks you're useless. We just need to be careful. This is all we have right now, just the four of us and we need to be smart and communicate with one another." Carol wasn't upset with her, just wanted her to understand.

"I'm sorry." Beth said feeling ashamed. Realizing her poor choice.

"Go get dried off." Carol told her before going to check on Daryl.

He was slumped over with his head rested on his arm that was propped up on the toilet seat, shivering. Only moving his eyes to watch as she came in grabbing a fluffy towel to wrap around his soaked body. Rubbing to try and warm him up.

"Thanks." He said softly.

Carol smiled and kissed the side of his head. "You need to get undressed."

"Another round already?" His voice was hoarse, but he managed a chuckle.

She rolled her eyes with a smile and moved to help him stand.

"Ugh...no." He let her go and sat back down. "Get disoriented when I try to stand."

"Just stay there." She slid his vest down his arms and tossed it aside while he removed his shirt. Hanging them in the shower to dry before going to get him something else to wear and a bottle of water. He hadn't eaten in days and knew he'd be dehydrated after this.

He had removed the rest of his clothing and had the towel draped over his waist when she returned. She went to hang his jeans and underwear with the rest after handing him the water and setting some sleep pants on the counter. "Want me to leave?"

"Gonna need your help if ya don't mind?" He hated asking anyone for anything, but knew he wasn't in any shape to deal with this alone. After drinking the whole bottle of water he stood with her assistance and pulled the pants on. Taking a minute to look down at them and grinned, being used to his jeans he looked funny dressed in fuzzy flannels.

"Cute." He joked and she shook her head with a laugh, helping him back to the bedroom to lay down.

"Carol?"

She looked up to meet his eyes while covering him.

"Thanks, for everything...seriously" His head was clear enough to not see double this time when he looked at her. Becoming extremely grateful he had such a wonderful woman in his life. It was hard for him to accept the fact he cared for her so much, since he knew it was only a matter of time before he screwed something up. It never failed with him when it came to women. That wasn't an option with Carol he told himself. He was determined to do what ever it took to not hurt her. To never be compared to Ed, to never cause her the mental or physical pain she suffered with him.

She went to him and brushed his hair out of his face, giving him a kiss on the forehead. "Just promise me you'll stay put this time? Running around outside in the rain isn't any way to get over this faster."

He grumbled in defeat. "Fine."

"Get some rest and stay in bed. If you need anything just yell." She left with a smile, closing the door behind her to join Carl and Beth who were both sitting on the couch.

"Are we ever going to go look for the others?" Carl asked, growing impatient.

"As soon as Daryl can travel safely we will. I need to make sure if something happens along the way he'll be able to handle it." Sighing she went to grab a few things. "In the mean time we need to make sure nothing can get in here. We've been lucky so far to of already cleared the building and there aren't many walkers around outside, but as you know from the farm they can show up at any time and in big numbers." She lit some candles before it got dark and tossed Beth a knife and Carl his gun. "Move it." And with that she was out the door, the others following close by.

They started with clearing the top floor of the bodies from the attack days before. Dragging them down to the lobby by the exit to later be used to place around the building. Hoping the odor alone would mask the scent of the living inside. Carol wished she had done this sooner while Daryl was unconscious, but she had been so worried he wouldn't make it. Mixed with stress and zero motivation all of them literally sat in the hotel room for two days accomplishing nothing. She was suffering from insomnia and exhaustion, but no more time would be wasted.


	9. Chapter 9

**( Thank you all again for the continued support! It means the world to me. Sorry it took a while to post this, but its a bit longer of a chapter, so I hope that makes up for it xD )**

The neck snapped and the head fell off the walker as Carl was strapping it to the wall, right on his shoe. "Yuck." He grumbled and kicked it.

"Hey! Don't kick it over here." Beth exclaimed and nudged it with her foot a few feet away. She had been in the process of hooking the chain that was holding the bodies to the side of the building when it rolled over. Making her shiver.

Carl chuckled and moved to adjust one of the rotting bodies in a straighter position. "Not like its going to bite you."

She frowned and pulled on the chain to make sure it was tight. "It was still looking at me though."

"They're all still looking at you." He informed while pointing to the dozen they had already hung up.

"Ugh." Beth stepped back when she took note of that. The whole entrance to the hotel was now littered with decaying corpses in a make shift force field to keep the dead at bay.

"Bet I can hit it from here." Carl said while quickly bending down to grab a baseball sized rock.

She had no idea what he was talking about until she turned around and saw the lone walker across the parking lot. There were only one or two that lingered over the past few days while they had been working on the wall. Which was a good thing since she enjoyed being outdoors. "Go for it." She encouraged and It made her smile. The week they had spent doing chores while Daryl was getting better had given her time to calm down and made her realize Carl wasn't so bad. They were actually becoming closer friends and she wasn't going to pass up on a chance to goof off with him after spending hours in the heat working.

He took a minute to line up his aim and pulled his arm back, throwing the rock as hard as he could. It hit the walker right in the jaw, breaking it off completely as it stumbled and fell like it had been shot. They both started laughing and ended up giving each other a childish high five.

Carol was pulling another corpse from the building when she interrupted their giggle fit and just shook her head, grateful they were at least getting along and actually seemed to be having fun for once. Knowing that making the wall wasn't something any of them wanted to be doing. She was about to make them help her when she saw the walker get up from the ground and head their way.

"I got it." Carl moved to pick up a machete he had left leaning against the building and started to go toward it. There was no fear from any of them. A single geek wasn't a real threat in an open space.

Before he got the chance to take it down an arrow pierced through the side of its head and it collapsed. Making him turn to look up and see Daryl standing out on the balcony of their room with a grin across his face.

"Nice shot." Carl yelled and went to retrieve his arrow.

"Yours wasn't half bad either." Daryl praised with a smile and sat down in a chair, enjoying the fresh air. He was getting restless being locked away in the room for so long, only just now getting the chance to be outside. Carol had insisted he take it easy for at least a week since symptoms of his concussion could last that long or even longer. He didn't mind her being cautious and enjoyed her caring, but man was he bored. He'd give anything for a smoke and a beer, the setting was perfect for him to just sit there a while, not having to worry about anything. It didn't take long however before his stubborn behavior took over and he went to get dressed, gathering his gear and bow to hunt. Growing tired of eating canned food, plus it would keep him from going stir crazy.

"Alright you two, give me a hand." Carol called, trying to lift the body to an empty spot to hang. Beth and Carl both ran over to help, it going much faster with the three of them.

"Are we going out tomorrow since Daryl's better?" Beth asked, still worried about her family.

"As long as hes up for it." Carol said while tying the last knot and wiped her hands on her jeans. "You won't hear me arguing." She was just as eager to find them.

Beth smiled and pushed on Carl's shoulder lightly. "Hear that? We'll get to find your Dad and Judith."

Carl stayed expressionless as he thought about the chances of his father actually being alive.

Beth's face fell slightly. "Aren't you excited?"

"Sure." He mumbled with a fake smile and went to wash his hands. Carol had discovered days earlier the building still had running water once she opened the main valve.

Beth looked to Carol for an answer, but she could only shrug. Not sure what was bugging him.

"What is it?" Beth pressed as he dried his hands off.

He sighed. "We aren't going to find them." The hope he once had faded a few days ago when they started fortifying the hotel. It starting to feel like home, meaning they weren't going to go far to look for anyone.

"How can you say that?" Carol moved closer to the boy. "After everything those people have gone through. They've survived the worst and you're giving up hope?"

"He was shot." Carl admitted, never telling anyone before the fate of his father. "Right before I found Daryl. I had been trying to save him."

"You're Dad?" Beth asked. Sadness washing over as she thought about Rick, then the others and all the horrible things that could of happened to them.

He messed with the handle on the machete and gave her a half nod. "Pretty sure he got over run."

"Did you see him go down?" Carol questioned.

"Its been over a week." He randomly sliced a walkers foot off that was on the wall, while he talked. "They're probably a hundred miles from here by now. Even if he did survive, they aren't looking for us..."

"Keep yer head up, kid." Daryl spoke as he walked outside where they were standing. Everyone turned to face him, surprised with his sudden appearance.

"You should be resting." Carol scolded, frowning. "Don't want you to have another accident." She had a hard time accepting Daryl was a grown man and very much capable of surviving on his own after the fall. Worried his blurred vision would come back and cloud his judgement.

"Gonna end up putting an arrow through my own head if I sit up there any longer. Goin' huntin'" He shifted the bow on his back and clasped his hand on Carl's shoulder. "Wanna tag along?" Usually he wouldn't take anyone with him since he had it down to a science, but the boy seemed like he needed to get away for a while. Plus Daryl wouldn't mind a little guy time.

"Hold on a second. You're just going to leave us here alone?" Carol's brows furrowed, not liking the idea at all.

Daryl moved away from Carl to go to her. "Wouldn't be goin' if I didn't know you could take care of yerself." He reached up to cup her cheek and give her a quick kiss. "Ain't no walker standin' a chance against you." With a smile he let her go.

"Daryl..." Carol grabbed his hand so he couldn't walk away.

"We'll be fine." He promised, bringing her hand to his lips to kiss her knuckles. A blush rose over her cheeks with the affection he was giving her in front of the others. "Carl will be with me. I trust him to have my back."

"Alright." She gave in hesitantly, not able to argue with the thought of something fresh to eat.

Beth just stood by quietly as the couple talked, adverting her eyes when they kissed to avoid letting any jealousy get in the way again. She had to accept Daryl wasn't interested when it came to those types of feelings for her, even after the kiss they shared. Letting go of a crush she had for so long was going to prove difficult.

...

"Shhh." Daryl held his arm out to try and keep Carl from rustling around in the leaves as they approached a squirrel, about ten feet away. He quickly shot an arrow through it and Carl eagerly went to claim their dinner.

"This is fun." He smiled, handing Daryl the squirrel. "I can see now why you always volunteered for the job."

Daryl took the food and hung it from his rope slung over his shoulder that held four others. "Its relaxin'" He shrugged. Hunting was like second nature to him.

"Can I try?" Carl asked, already willing to help if his gun wouldn't create an alarm for walkers.

Daryl paused a minute to think about it as he looked at the boy. He was a lot bigger now and older than the first time he had asked to hold his bow back on the farm. His aim had also improved and this was a skill anyone could use if they ever found themselves alone. "Why not." He moved to stand beside Carl and show him how to hold the bow, explaining that when he let go it was going to be harder to aim because of the weight it had.

"Take a few practice shots." He pointed to a tree close by and stepped to the side.

Carl's first shot missed completely, but the next three hit right on target. Daryl raised his eye brow, taken back at how quick he picked it up. "Not bad, kid."

He took a seat on the ground leaning back against a fallen tree and sighed, it was nice being back out in the forest. Carl joined him soon after resting the bow propped up on the tree beside where he was sitting, keeping a look out for anything.

"Can I asked you something?" Carl spoke up, finally breaking the long silence.

Daryl just grunted a little, his eyes locked off in the distance.

"Are you and Carol together now?" He glanced his way for a moment, then looked back through the cross-hair of the bow.

Daryl chuckled and turned to face him, wondering what was with the random question. "Are you an Beth?" He smirked, trying to give him a hard time.

"What?" His hand gripped the handle, trying to hide a slight blush. "No, she hates me." He pulled the trigger and it impaled a squirrel against a tree. The excitement of his first kill had him jumping to his feet with a huge grin.

Daryl made him stay put and went to grab it, actually really proud of the boy. "What gave ya that idea?" As odd he found the two of them were having this conversation, he really took a liking to Carl. He was brave, a survivor and always willing to help out and learn, which made him not mind his company.

"That fact she punched me in the face?" He was handing him the bow and Daryl paused.

"That's a woman for ya." He reached out to touch Carl's shoulder with a smile and started walking, heading back toward the Hotel since it would be getting dark soon.

"Daryl?" Carl was looking at his feet while they walked, avoiding any kind of eye contact.

Daryl simply responded with a soft sound, trying to keep a look out for any danger.

"Thanks for teaching me how to hunt." Carl looked over to him then.

"Sure." He adjusted his bow on his back again trying not to let the situation get awkward. Their bonding reminded him of something a father and son would do, but he didn't want to play that role and he never wanted Carl to look to him as such. Rick was a good man and no one could replace him.

Before they crossed the street to the parking lot, Carl brought up a previous question. "You never answered me about you and Carol?"

Daryl grinned. "Let it go." He pushed up against him with his shoulder hard enough to make him stumble playfully. It made him feel good whenever he thought about Carol as his woman, but they hadn't actually talked about their status when it came to being together. Not that he doubted anything, he just didn't want anyone else knowing their business.

Carl chuckled and shoved him back, enjoying the time they spent together, not having to worry about anything. He understood what Daryl meant then when he said hunting was relaxing as he sat down out front of the hotel, listening while he explained how to skin the squirrel and prepare it to eat.

"So...is this home now?" Carl asked while placing bits of uncooked meat in a bowl.

Daryl continued cutting away as they talked. "Doesn't seem too bad. Plenty of room for when we find the others and there aren't many walkers that hang around."

He grimaced at the squirrel head Daryl handed him and tossed it aside. "What if someone drives by and sees what we've done and wants to stay?"

"Then you let me handle it." There was barely any daylight left when he cut the last piece of meat from the bone and decided it was time to head inside. The thought of the living trying to take their safe haven was always in the back of his mind, he just hoped if anyone did stop in they weren't going to be hostel. He didn't know what he would do if he lost anyone in their small group and would feel extremely guilty for putting them in danger to start with.

"I miss the farm." Carl grumbled as they walked through the stairwell, which Beth and Carol had kindly left candles lit for them along the floor. He blew them out as they passed, making sure to leave enough light to reach the door.

...

Carol had been in the middle of trying to prepare some canned potatoes when the boys walked through the door and greeted them with a smile. Grateful they had returned unharmed.

"Any luck?" She asked while drying her hands.

Carl eagerly placed the bowl on the counter for her to see how much meat there was. Proud of their accomplishment. "Got one myself."

"Oh yeah?" Carol gave Daryl a questioning look at Carl's statement and wrapped her arms around his waist when he came over.

He kissed her forehead and awkwardly tried to hug her while keeping his dirty, bloody hands away from her clothes. "Kid's good with a bow."

"I can't believe you let anyone else use it." She teased, knowing how possessive he was of the weapon, but she made sure to let Carl know she was impressed. After taking note of Daryl's dirty hands she tugged on his collar and pulled him to the bathroom. "I wanna show you something." The door shut behind them once inside.

Daryl went with her willingly, but not without a confused look.

"Take your clothes off." Carol insisted and smirked at his raised eye brow. "Trust me."

Without a word he shrugged his vest off and started unbuttoning his shirt. Carefully watching her as he tried to figure out what was going on. When a woman told you to undress you didn't argue and did what was asked.

She went to turn the shower on while he unbuckled his belt and pulled his jeans down, tossing them aside with the rest as he awkwardly stood there in his underwear.

Carol turned back after she adjusted the water and pointed to the clothes remaining. "Those too."

"Wanna tell me what this is about?" He asked before letting himself get completely naked.

Carol grinned and walked over to rest her hands on his hips, sliding her fingers under the elastic waist band of his boxers. "Getting you clean." With a quick swift movement she got his last article of clothing off and motioned for him to get in the shower.

Without hesitation he went, not wanting to become her eye candy and sighed heavily when the water poured over his shoulders. It was warm, no... it was actually hot. "How?" He was about to open his eyes and ask again when she didn't answer, but instead tensed at the sudden touch of her hands on his chest. Instinctively he reached out to pull her against him so she was under the water as well and kissed the side of her head.

"Found a back up hot water heater that runs on gas. Beth and I made a quick run today while you were gone and filled it up. Along with three other containers. I'd say it was a good day." She smiled and wrapped her arms around him while his hands rubbed down her back.

While he was rubbing her muscles something felt off. He could feel all her ribs and she seemed smaller if that were possible. The week he had been on bed rest they hadn't seen much of each other while she cleaned out the building and worked on the wall, so he hadn't noticed if she was losing weight. With a gentle push he made her step back and opened his eyes to get a better look. She was indeed skinnier and worry quickly took over. "Are you not eatin'?" He asked, ignoring the conversation about the water.

Carol's eyes drifted to her feet and she bit her lip. "It's just stress."

"Look at me." He insisted and waited until she did so. "As much shit has you've given me over the past few days about getting better, I aint lettin' you wither away. Got it?"

"I cant help it..." She moved back to him and rest her forehead against his chest, feeling the water running down his torso and against her face. "You're all I have."

"I'm not goin' anywhere." He hated seeing her like this. Stressed to the point where she couldn't eat or sleep and it broke his heart, because he knew he was the reason it was happening. "I promise." It was a promise he was going to keep and he was going to do whatever he could to make sure she never doubted him. Never let herself get to this point again. He reached over and grabbed some shampoo, lazily massaging it into her hair while she was still leaned against him.

Once her hair was rinsed Carol moved to pull him down to claim his lips. Kissing him long and hard while gripping his strong bicep and wrapping an arm around his neck. "Thank you." She spoke softly after falling from his lips.

Daryl shifted his hips slightly to keep his ever growing hard on from digging into her hip and smiled. "Just so ya know, you're all I have also." Carol quickly pulled him back to her, hinting she wanted to play and he grinned mischievously, giving her a quick kiss. "Turn around."

She did as instructed and he took his time to wash every part of her. Taking note of the many scars that laced her back and softly pressed his lips to them. Letting her know he understood her pain since he had similar ones. He dipped his head and bit down on the crook of her neck gently when she thrust her ass against his erection for the second time and he let out a soft grunt.

"This what you want?" He teased, reaching around to gently pass his fingers over her clit while sliding his cock between her legs.

"Please." She moaned and his knees buckled at her begging, but he didn't move. Waiting to see her reaction.

Her eyes met his from over her shoulder and she bit her lip, pouting while moving back against him once more. He caved and moved to kiss her pout while sliding into her from behind. Making sure it was nice and slow to savior the feeling of her quivering around his length. "You feel amazing." He groaned, running a hand down her back to grip her hip and start a slow pace.

"Harder..." Carol pleaded in almost a whisper, breathless and at first he wasn't sure he heard correctly.

"Like this?" His voice was low and right in her ear, which made her clench down on him and he growled. Quickly starting a faster pace.

"Yes!" She yelled in pleasure and reached out to place a hand on the tiled wall in front of them, making her bend lower so he could go deeper. Her legs probably would of given out if he hadn't been holding her hips.

When he knew she was balanced he moved a hand to grab her breast, pinching the nipple and sneaking his other between her legs to massage her bundle of nerves. Never slowing his thrust. She was spent in no time, crashing around him in pants and moans as he bit into her shoulder to hold back his orgasm. Once she was still he pulled out of her, moving his hand to grip the base of his throbbing cock to keep from cumming.

Carol turned to face him when he moved and melted at the sight she took in. He was standing there biting his lip, staring back at her through slanted eye lids, breathing heavily as he slowly started stroking his erection. It didn't take long before he fell over the edge, squeezing his eyes shut tight while reaching out to hold onto her so he didn't lose his balance.

"I think its my turn to point out, just how fucking sexy you are." Daryl laughed at her swearing and kissed her temple. Completely content in that moment once he stopped shaking.

"Damn." The red teeth marks on her shoulder finally came in to view and he felt terrible. "Sorry." His hand ran over it gently.

She just smiled and grabbed the back of his head, sliding her tongue into his mouth for a passionate kiss. To which he eagerly replied by sucking on her lower lip and pulled her leg up to wrap around his waist. Slowly rubbing from her knee, up her thigh and around to grab her ass. Her body shifted to move after a minute, but he didn't allow it. Stroking her cheek softly. "Love you." He let her leg go then so she could stand, continuing to hold eye contact and quickly moved his thumb over her lips as she began to frown, shaking his head.

Carol closed her eyes and nodded, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to show themselves. Knowing he hated to see her cry, but she couldn't get over the fact he was so good to her. No one in her entire life had treated her like she was important, beautiful, perfect, and to him she was all of those. "I love you too." She whispered.

Daryl grinned even though a few tears ran down her cheeks. "You have no idea how much you have me wrapped around your finger..." He took her hand and kissed it before stepping back to finish rinsing off. "I'd do anything for you." It was something that still amazed him about her. How she had such power over his emotions.

That made her heart ache, but in a good way and she moved under the water with him. "How did I get so lucky?"


	10. Chapter 10

**( Holy cow! Been trying to post this chapter for two days now! Kept getting errors xD Hopefully you guys will enjoy it and it will make up for the wait. )**

Daryl shut the water off and stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel to wrap around Carol. "The fact yer the one thing I've always needed in my life, might be how."

Carol snuggled into the warm towel. "I don't deserve you." He insisted on drying her off, so she leaned against him and started thinking. It didn't make sense to her why she never felt good enough for anyone. Figured it had to do with Ed brainwashing her into believing he was the only person who would ever find interest in someone so worthless.

"No one else but you does." With a quick kiss he let her go to get himself dry.

"Guess there aren't any other women tugging at your heart then?" She winked only teasing him and slipped on a robe that had been left there by the Hotel.

"Actually..." He paused and slowly walked over to her. "We need to talk about Beth."

At first she tensed, not sure what he meant by the statement, but he was quick to make sure she understood after the look of terror spread across her face. "Not that I'm interested in her..." He had to chuckle, a little amused she would even think that. "But she is pissed about us."

"W..what?" Carol stammered, trying to figure out why the situation would bother Beth. "How do you know?"

"She questioned why I chose you. Implying she was another option." The moment replayed over in his head again as he remembered her yelling for an answer from him. It pained him in a way since he really cared about the young blonde, but those types of feelings weren't there. He saw her like a little sister and knew every time he rejected her a little piece of the innocent girl she once was chipped away.

"Should I talk to her?" She bent down to pick up their dirty clothes and waited until Daryl had a towel around his waist to reach for the door knob. It was a conversation she didn't even know where to start with.

"What would you say?" His arm extended to keep the door shut while they finished talking. They were in the bathroom connected to the bedroom they shared, but he still didn't want the others to hear them.

"That I don't know, I mean..." She stepped back to lean against the wall before continuing. "What is this exactly?"

Daryl's forehead crinkled as he looked across the room. Keeping his eyes away from her on purpose. "I guess it's whatever you want it to be." A part of him grew uneasy, wondering if letting her make the call would come back and bite him in the ass, but it was ultimately her choice.

"Daryl, I love you." She reached out to take his hand. "Have for a long time and the way I see it, I'm not looking forward to any part of my life that doesn't have you in it."

He sighed and squeezed her hand, turning to meet those beautiful blue eyes of hers. "Wasn't plannin' on letting you go either way. Was somethin' I told myself when I went to find you." He pulled her into his arms then, just so she knew it was true.

"What happened to the ignorant redneck that only care about himself and his brother?" Carol asked curiously, her voice vibrating against his chest.

"He died the day you put that pick axe through Ed's face." His lips brushed against her hair as he spoke.

"So blood and guts is what gets you going?" Carol joked, kind of glad she could talk about her former husband in that way and it not make her overwhelmed.

Daryl shifted so he could look at her. "Just made me realize there are people out there far worse off than myself. That maybe I could make a difference and help someone. That I had to grow up and stop lettin' my brother drag me down."

"You always were the nice one." Carol moved away from him finally with a smile, knowing they couldn't be locked in there forever with food that needed to be cooked and the end of the world to tend to. "If it gets brought up again with Beth do you want me to say something? Or are you going to handle it yourself?"

"I got it." That was something he was certain he could take care of, whether or not Beth handled it in a mature manner was a different story. The two of them went to get dressed and he paused at the pile of clothes he had never seen before that were sitting on top of the dresser.

Carol tossed their dirty clothes to the side so she could wash them later and saw him eying the stack of new ones. "Beth and I found them today on our run. Didn't know what you'd like, but its better than the two pairs of jeans you have."

He grabbed the first pair of pants and slid them on, a perfect fit. "Thanks." Next came a grey long sleeved button down shirt that he didn't bother closing and looked at himself in the mirror. The sleeves would definitely have to go since it was summer, but he didn't want to just start shredding it in front of Carol like he wasn't grateful.

Once she was dressed they went back out to their makeshift half kitchen where Carl and Beth were sitting on the bar stools talking. Didn't take long before one of them called them out on their alone time.

"Are we gonna have to get you guys a muzzle?" Beth teased, which caused Carl to snicker and shake his head.

Carol stayed quiet and started to blush as she returned to making the potatoes. Daryl just rolled his eyes and grabbed the bowl of meat that someone had taken the time to washed off. "No idea what yer talkin' bout." He grinned and walked out onto the balcony where they had made a place to grill the squirrel.

The chill in the air from the summer night breeze had Carol and Beth wrapped in a blanket, leaned against the sliding glass door while Daryl and Carl grilled. It was peaceful. No sounds of walkers, no gun shots, no threats as the small family relaxed and enjoyed sitting outside in each others company. There was little conversation, but the girls seemed entertained watching Daryl teach Carl how to cool like a man. At least that's what Daryl kept saying. Insisting eating out of a can wasn't for real men.

"Stop playing with the fire." Daryl knocked the stick out of Carl's hand playfully when he kept poking at it.

Carl grumbled with a grin and moved to lay on his back so he could look up at the stars. His legs dangled through the bars around the balcony, thinking about Judith and his Dad. Wondering if it was a bad thing he was actually happy in that moment with just the four of them for the first time since they separated.

"Giving up already?" Daryl asked as he flipped the meat so it would cook evenly.

Carl tuned his head. "Just thinking." He lifted one of his legs to rest his foot against a chair.

"Bout what?" Daryl met the boys eyes for a minute and went to place some of the squirrel on a plate. Hoping he was doing alright, knowing this new setting might be hard to deal with.

Carl looked back up at the sky. "That this isn't bad." He picked up the stick he had before and idly tapped the railing with it quietly. "I guess if this were to be permanent, I'm glad I got stuck with you all."

With the fears of his previous thought aside Daryl smiled, feeling the same way. He was glad the kid was thinking about the future and accepting where life was leading him, instead of dwelling on what could of been.

"I agree." Beth piped up before Daryl could respond. As much as she wanted to find the others, at least she knew with them she'd be safe.

Daryl stayed quiet and watched out of the corner of his eye as Carl roll over on his stomach to look at the young woman. "Really?" Since they had been there Beth seemed to be the one taking everything the hardest.

She nodded and gave him a smile. Much like Carl she was growing to understand that this right now could be it. They may not end up with anything better or even have each other the next day. Everything could change in a split second and one wrong move or choice could be the end. It was something Daryl had come to appreciate over time. Finding himself more grateful for every little thing that happened. Every bit of hope, happiness, something as small as a smile were now things he looked forward to seeing. They had become so rare now a days. His life before was so full of anger and chaos, never opening up to anyone, always alone and quiet. That's when his eyes drifted over to Carol, who had fallen asleep leaning against Beth's shoulder. Knowing she was the reason he had changed so much over the past two years. She needed to eat, but he didn't have the heart to wake her. Not after the week she suffered of stress and insomnia while worrying about his fate. He handed Carl the plate of food once the meat was cooked and Beth put out the fire, careful not to stir Carol when she moved. Daryl gently lifted Carol into his arms and went to put her to bed. Surprised she didn't wake at all.

* * *

Carol jerked awake the next morning with a gasp, almost giving Daryl a heart attack who had been spooned up behind her asleep. He sat up fast and let her go confused. "What's wrong?"

She sighed and leaned against the headboard. "Sorry, just a bad dream." After a minute she got out of bed to get ready for the day, not saying anything else.

Daryl waited to see if she would need him, but she obviously didn't want to talk about it. He respected her privacy and went to join her in getting ready.

Beth and Carl were already awake and in the living room playing cards. Both fully geared up and patiently waiting to start the search. Carl even had a map spread out on the floor beside him and marked off where they were currently located. He wanted to go back to the prison and see if anyone got left behind or if anyone came looking for them, but it wasn't his call. To everyone else he was just a kid, unable to make a decision that important, so he was going to have to try his hardest to convince the others it was a good idea.

After much debate the boy was surprise everyone agreed to checking there first. It was the only place any of them could think the others would go and had been. The potential dangers of the prison were addressed and everyone was fully prepared for what could happen. They didn't need to be caught off guard.

Beth, Carol and Carl piled into the station wagon and Daryl lead them on his bike. It hadn't dawned on them just how far they had traveled until it felt like it was taking forever to get there. Carl was constantly checking the map to make sure they were going the right way and finally the familiar hill came in to sight and he knew exactly what was on the other side.

The prison was almost in ruins. Not the safe haven they once called home. Fences were down, towers fallen, walls crumbled and the grounds were covered with walkers. It was hard to believe anyone was able to survive there, but they couldn't leave without giving it a chance. The walkers in the yard were at least spread out enough to where they could get around them easily.

Once their transportation was parked outside the fences they split into groups. Carol and Carl went around one way and Beth and Daryl took the entrance to the tombs. It wasn't ideal for them to leave one another, but they could get in and out faster this way with more ground covered.

Carol and Carl ran up the gravel path, killing several walkers along the way while trying to avoid drawing attention to themselves. They passed many of The Governor's men that were now laying in the grass torn to pieces and a few shuffling around with the other brain dead corpses. Sadly many good people they had rescued from The Governor's town were with them.

Carl took his machete to the side of a walkers head as it approached Carol. She had been in the process of getting a door open and jumped when the blood splattered against her face, quickly she moved a hand to wipe it away. "Ugh."

"Sorry." Carl apologized and reached up to clean her face off with a handkerchief he had in his back pocket.

"You don't have to do that." She insisted and took it from him to finish herself. "Thank you though."

He smirked and lead the way inside slowly. Making sure to stay on alert so there weren't anymore surprises. Only one walker lingered around the entrance to cell block C and Carl took it out in one slash to the face, it collapsed to the floor with the other bodies in a second. Someone had come through there since the attack because the bodies all had gun shot wounds to the head and the hall was covered in walker guts, blood and the foul smell of rotting flesh.

Carol stayed behind in the room where they used to store their food and weapons to see if anything was worth taking. A few rounds of ammo and some guns were still sitting on a table and she stuff them into her bag along with what ever food she could find. After gathering anything useful she kept an eye out for any notes or clues to where the others had gone, but came up empty. It wasn't until she heard what sounded like Carl's machete hitting the floor with a clank that she stopped searching and went to find him.

"Carl?" Carol called and got no response. Panic set in and she ran down the hall of their old cell block about to call his name again when she saw him standing there frozen once she rounded the corner. His weapon sat at his feet and he just stared at the sight unfolded in front of him.

In the middle of a circle of walker corpses sat Rick. His now lifeless body was leaned back against the wall with a self inflicted gun shot wound to the head, from the looks of it he had fought his way inside after being shot in the leg and ended up getting over run. There were bite marks on his forearm and shoulder which lead to his decision of taking his own life.

"I'm so sorry." Carol whispered and wrapped her arms around the boy from behind. He instantly turned in her hold and cried against her chest. A part of Carol hurt just as bad as he did in that moment, but she had to keep it together for him. Even after Rick dismissed her from the prison she still respected him. He was a good man and it made her heart ache to see him go in such a violent way. Alone and fighting with everything he had to stay alive. She couldn't help but shed a few tears herself and tried to move Carl away from the scene.

He went willingly and she bent to pick up his machete, heading back to the exit. The chance of someone actually being there after witnessing that was slim to none.

Carol held him close until they were outside and he moved away from her to kick the metal cage that protected them, sobbing. He gripped the fence and dropped his head against it. "Its not fair...all my Dad ever did was try to help people. Even before all of this..."

"I know sweetie." Carol tried to go to him.

"No you don't! You don't know anything!" Carl yelled and jerked away from her.

Despite his rejection she pulled him into her embrace once more. Knowing he needed some sort of comfort and was only angry at her because he didn't know how to deal with his feelings. The whole situation was even overwhelming for her.

They stood there together for several minutes, to the point where Carol's shirt was soaked with his tears. She stroked his hair, trying to get him to calm down even though she knew there truly wasn't anything she could say or do to make his pain go away. However having someone there with you in a time of grief was better than being alone. He had to know even with his father gone she would still always be there for him.

* * *

"Do we have to do this now?" Daryl griped as they walked the tombs and not exactly in silence. Beth hadn't stopped talking since they stepped foot inside.

"It's just a simple question." Beth pushed, stepping over a rotting corpse.

Daryl sighed and stopped. "Because I love her." He admitted with a glare. Hoping she would get the point he didn't want to talk about it.

"Before all of this you hardly even looked at her. Every time she would flirt you would act oblivious or tell her to knock it off." Which is why Beth always assumed he wasn't interested. Leading to her gaining a crush and thinking she had a chance.

"You spyin' on me?" Daryl's temper rose thinking he couldn't even have his own privacy.

"No." Beth was quick to reply. "Everyone has seen it. The way she looks at you. How she talks to you. You were the only one too blind to notice apparently and now you suddenly love her?"

Daryl growled and closed his eyes to not get angry and started walking again. Figuring saying nothing was the best thing to do. However much like he anticipated she didn't stop there, but he continued to listen as she followed closely.

"You were the only close friend I had. I told you everything and thought there was something special between us." Beth tried to get him to understand why she had the type of feelings she did.

"Why would you want an old man like me anyways?" As much as he didn't want to have this conversation, he knew if he stayed silent she would keep going. He did feel bad though that he had given her false hope by getting close. All this time thinking he was just being a good person.

"You aren't old." Beth informed and grabbed the handle of her knife when she heard a shuffling sound in the distance.

Daryl caught sight of a small heard with his light after going around a corner and turned to grab Beth when she yelped at seeing it, covering her mouth from behind and pulled her into a room. He crouched down with her between his legs and leaned against the wall to stay out of view. The door was still cracked so he turned the flash light off trying to stay quiet as they passed. Beth's heart pounding through her back against his chest made him keep his hand over her mouth, afraid she would make a sound and give away their location if he let her go.

He tensed when she moved to grip his thigh and he carefully reached down to take her hand in his free one, knowing she was scared. At least at first he thought that's why she did it. When she shifted closer to him to where her ass was pressed against his crotch he knew it wasn't out of fear. He swallowed hard and moved his hand from hers to grab her hip and slide her forward away from him gently.

"Please." She whispered from behind his hand on her mouth and he could feel tears falling down her cheeks, puddling against his skin.

Daryl sighed and dropped his head against the wall. "Don't do this." He whispered back, she was going to get them killed.

Beth turned in his hold to where her hip was now between his legs instead of her ass so she could see his face. It was dark, but she still made out his features once her eyes adjusted. "I have no one. After Zach...we might not make it out of here..." Her breathing was heavier from crying and he instantly felt guilty. Guilty for getting her boyfriend killed and guilty for getting himself in this mess by letting their friendship get so deep. "Just kiss me." Beth demanded softly with a whimper.

Daryl bit his lip and everything racing through his head was telling him to get out of there and away from her, but on the other hand when a woman was crying in front of him it was hard to think rationally. He always tried to fix everyones problems and didn't have it in him to be an asshole to her when she was this upset. After cursing to himself he reached out to cup her cheek and pull her to his lips. She eagerly moved against his mouth in a slow lingering motion that probably would of taken his breath away under different circumstances. One of her hands gripped the back of his neck as he slid his tongue in her mouth and shifted them forward so she was laying on the cold cement. He moved over top of her and kicked the door shut so it latched quietly once the herd passed, never breaking the kiss. It wasn't until she moaned into his mouth that he realized just how wrong this was and pulled away before he allowed himself to continue.

Beth tried to grab the front of his vest to bring him back, but instead he pinned her wrists to the floor beside her head to prevent that from happening. "I can't..." He admitted, keeping his voice low.

She lifted her head to kiss the side of his neck and tried to wrap one of her legs around his hip since he was still between hers. "Stop." Daryl hissed and that's when he completely moved. Shifting to grab both her wrists in one of his hands and used his free one to remove her leg from around him. He then held her hip down so he could straddle her waist to keep her from trying anything else. "Now I want you to listen to me. Got it?" The flashlight was in reach so he turned it on to make sure she was going to pay attention, but left it laying in the floor so the light bounced off the wall and wasn't directly in their faces.

Beth nodded hesitantly.

Daryl let her hands go once she stopped fighting and leaned in closer to meet her eyes. "I care about you a lot. All of you mean the world to me, but this has got to stop. I love Carol and she is the only woman I want." Beth frowned and he was quick to make sure the water works didn't appear. "No, you don't get to do that." He moved off her and sat down so he could lean against the wall again and sighed. "You can't keep takin' advantage of my emotions." Beth sat up then, keeping him in sight.

"Do you have any idea how fuckin' horrible I feel now?" Daryl spat.

Beth's brows furrowed and she moved to sit against the opposite wall. "Why?" She asked in a soft voice.

"Because I was stupid enough to give in to yer pleadin' and only made things more difficult." Daryl ran a hand through his hair and bit the inside of his cheek. He debated telling her that if Carol wasn't in the picture maybe things could be different to make her feel better, but quickly tossed the thought aside as it would only cause more problems.

"I'm sorry." Beth apologized. "I thought if I could just show you...you'd see there was something there. I was wrong, I'm sorry."

Daryl looked over at her while chewing on his thumb nail, trying to make out if she was telling the truth. "Carol's a good person, she doesn't deserve this. You need to promise me this stops today, right now."

"I promise." Beth gave in defeated. Feeling embarrassed and ashamed of her actions as her eyes fell to the floor.

"I'll always be here for you Beth... just not in that way. Besides I think Carl likes you." Daryl smirked, trying to lighten the mood so she didn't beat herself up.

Beth chuckled and dropped her head in her hands to rub her eyes. "He's just a kid."

"One hell of a kid." Daryl corrected as he stood. "Hes only a few years younger than you, give him a break." He reached down to help her stand and gathered his bow and flashlight.

"I guess hes kind of cute." Beth admitted with a smile that caused Daryl to roll his eyes.

"That went too far." Daryl teased and opened the door. Glad the awkward situation ended on a good note. He still feared she'd slip through the cracks again until she was completely happy with someone else, but tried to hold her promise to being genuine.

"Are you going to tell Carol?" Beth asked as they went back to their mission of searching the tombs.

"Have to." He told Carol he'd take care of it if it came up again and he wanted her to know it had been handled.

"Oh..." Beth grew slightly uncomfortable. "Will she be mad?"

"Nah." Daryl lifted his bow to take out a walker standing by the exit and went to grab his arrow before opening the door. There was nothing living inside and seemed pointless to go any further. The bright light from outside made them both wince and close their eyes.

As they walked around the building Beth noticed the sight of Carol and Carl out of the corner of her eye, huddled behind the fence that protected the door way to their old cell block. "Think they're alright?"

Daryl didn't know what she meant until she pointed to where they were and his heart instantly sank with worry. He could tell even from there something wasn't right and quickly ran over to them after taking out a few walkers.

Carol had Carl wrapped in her arms sitting down on the stairs inside the cage and Daryl approached slowly on the outside, meeting Carol's eyes in question. She didn't have to say anything for him to figure it out from the look on her face. Sadness came crashing down and Daryl had to clear his throat to not let it take over. Losing Rick was like losing his own brother.

Beth went to rub her hand down her friends back once they were inside the enclosure and Carl lifted his head.

"It'll be okay, we're here for you." She said trying to encourage him to either talk or at least help in some way.

"Thanks." Carl spoke softly and moved to stand. Not appreciating all eyes on him. "Lets get out of here." He couldn't be there any longer and as much as he wanted to bury his father he couldn't bare going back and seeing him like that.

Daryl took the lead as they left and quickly moved the group through the yard and back to their vehicles. Beth and Carl went ahead and got seated inside the station wagon while Carol and Daryl stood by his bike to talk, making sure nothing could sneak up on them.

"He alright?" Daryl asked Carol and she shook her head.

"It was awful." Carol admitted with a frown and moved to him to drop her head against his chest.

He slid an arm around her waist and kissed her temple. "I'm sorry you had to see it."

"We can't leave him in there..." She looked up at him and he was pained at the look of heartbreak in her eyes.

Daryl pulled her tighter against him. "I'll come back tomorrow and take care of it."

"Alone?" Carol stepped back.

He nodded. "No one else needs to deal with it. I'll find a place close to where we are and then everyone can be there, but only once hes in the ground..." Daryl paused and looked away. Hating he was going to have to lay someone as great as Rick to rest. He moved from Carol without a word and went to start his bike, unable to speak as he swallowed the lump in his throat.

Carol got in the car and drove off while Daryl sat on his bike and looked out at the prison. A place that had been filled with nothing but bad memories. The only good thing to come from there was Judith, which cost a life and her faith was currently unknown.

Daryl cursed and slammed a fist against his handle bars as a few tears escaped down his cheeks. He quickly wiped them away and spun the bike around to catch up with his family.


	11. Chapter 11

**-Man I angered a lot of people with my last chapter. I guess I should explain I don't want my version of Daryl to be instantly perfect. I've read so many stories lately where he is just the perfect man with no flaws. I still want him to grow as a character and learn from his mistakes as he gets used to all the changes around him. With that said I hope you guys still enjoy my story because I enjoy writing it! Once again thank you for the feedback and continued support! Means the world to me!-**

Carl rest his head on the door with the window open, allowing the wind to blow against his face as his mind terrorized him with the horrific images of his fathers demise. No matter how hard he fought to think of something different it continued to haunt him, beating him down and crushing him until he started crying again. Soon he felt sick from the pain. "Pull over." He pleaded, holding his stomach as it tightened. Carol quickly slowed and parked off to the side of the road, watching in the rear view mirror as he jumped out of the car.

Carl took two steps, unable to hold back any longer and threw up behind the station wagon. He held his chest as he drew in deep breaths and threw up again through his sobbing. Never in his life had he experienced the grief he felt right then. Not even when his mother died and he had to put a bullet in her head.

The sounds of his cries drew Carol from her seat to go to him, her heart aching as the boy broke in front of her. He fell forward to his knees with a hand on the pavement and the other still clutching his shirt. That's when Carol went to wrap her caring arms around his smaller frame from behind and kissed the top of his head, rocking him gently as if he were her own child. "Shhh it's alright." She whispered and closed her eyes, nuzzling her cheek against his hair.

Beth had exited the vehicle soon after Carol but kept her distance, not wanting him to grow uncomfortable and looked away. Her own tears building as her friend crumbled to the ground and she reached up to wipe her eyes before they fell. She could never understand the loss of a father since to her knowledge hers was still alive, but imagined it was probably the worst feeling in the world. The death of her mother had taken a toll on her, but now Carl didn't have either of his parents and that thought made her whole body tense. He had to feel so alone. She struggled to not go to him and looked up when Daryl rolled his bike over behind the car.

Daryl also stayed away, painfully watching as Carl shook from the stress of crying and the woman he loved trying to sooth the young teen. He rest his arms on the handle bars and dropped his chin to his forearm, knowing all he could do was wait. Nothing could fix the sadness Carl was feeling but time.

"I can't do this..." Carl whimpered. His voice strained from sobbing.

"Yes you can." Carol spoke softly. "You have to, for when we find your sister. Shes going to need her big brother to show her how to be strong, to be a survivor. She'll need you to love her just as much as we love you."

"We gotta go." Daryl spoke up. Feeling bad for interrupting the moment, but walkers were starting to come out of the woods.

Carol looked around at his words and heard shuffling in the leaves, along with the distinct groans of the dead. She grabbed Carl to make him stand and they hurried into the car. Beth chose to sit in the back seat with him and carefully reached over to hold his hand. He met her eyes briefly in silence, but didn't reject her. Instead he squeezed hers back, appreciating the comfort.

* * *

As soon as they were at the Hotel, Daryl wasted no time parking his bike and stalking off across the street to go hunting. It made Carol uneasy he just left without a word, but she knew it was pointless to try and stop him. Once he was out of view she lead the others inside to sort through their supplies and get cleaned up.

Daryl sat down on the fallen tree that him and Carl had used the day before and sighed. Looking out into the stillness of the forest while he tried to clear his mind. Wondering why they had lost so many good people when those like The Governor had been given the chances to reign down destruction. Sure he was gone now, but he claimed a great man in the process. Not to mention the others they had lost to walkers and the ones who were still missing.

With a grunt he stabbed his knife into the tree he was sitting on over and over until he finally got frustrated and threw it as hard as he could toward a tree in front of him. It impaled the bark and stuck firmly in the center. He started to blame himself even though he knew it wasn't his fault, but a million different scenarios played out in his head where he could of stayed behind to help the others or at least find out where everyone was going. To do something different that wouldn't lead them to this outcome.

The sound of a turkey less than twenty feet away drew him from that train of thought and he stood, grabbing his bow to take aim. After hitting his target he went to grab his knife from the tree and then to claim their dinner. Reminding himself he wasn't alone, that he still had a family to take care of. It may not of been ideal since he wished they were all together with the others at the prison, but he was glad to at least have someone.

Apparently the cry of his kill had gained the attention of many walkers in the area because soon they were coming out of the woodwork in all directions. Daryl's heart beat picked up at the sudden change in scenery and started to run, but was instantly stopped in his tracks as he got surrounded. How the hell had he not noticed them coming before hand? Growling he dropped his food to the ground and rammed his knife into a walkers skull, then quickly turned to shoot another under its chin with his bow. They both collapsed which created a small window for him to pick up the turkey and take off running again, leaving his arrow behind. He wasn't about to go back to his family empty handed.

He finally stopped to catch his breath when he reached the road and dropped to his knees, wiping his brow. Some gravel dug into his skin when he fell, but he didn't care. He hadn't had to run like that in a while and the adrenaline running through him made the pain easy to ignore. The walkers were still following him, but were far enough away he could take the minute to rest and actually walk back over to the Hotel. Now was the chance to see if Carol's idea paid off and if the force field of dead bodies did what it was suppose to. He went inside and barricaded the door before going upstairs.

Carol met Daryl's eyes shortly when he walked into the room, but he quickly kept on his path and went out onto the balcony. She figured she'd leave him alone for now while her and Beth continued washing the dishes. Carl had fallen asleep on the couch after taking a shower so the whole place was quiet. Nothing really needed to be said as the girls put away some plates in the cabinets and drained the water from the sink.

Daryl sat down in a chair and watched the herd shuffle out of the woods as he plucked feathers from the turkey harshly. Angry he had almost gotten himself killed and angry he lead the pack of walkers back with him.

The dead wandered around aimlessly as they approached the building and only lingered for a moment when they picked up on the scent of the living off their vehicles. It didn't take long before they got bored and continued through the parking lot once they realized nothing was there. Daryl couldn't believe it. Assuming being three stories up may of helped because at the prison they could smell them from hundreds of feet away. "Yeah, keep on walkin'." He murmured with a smirk and tossed some feathers aside. Very proud of Carol's smart thinking.

After about an hour Carol finally came outside to join him and sat down in a chair beside where he was cutting pieces of meat to toss on the makeshift grill. "Doing alright?" She asked placing a hand on his shoulder.

"S'pose." He replied softly and tensed at her touch, making him drop his knife.

Carol quickly removed her hand and rest it in her lap. "You sure?"

"I fucked up today." Daryl admitted with a sigh. He would of gotten this off his chest before they left, but she was already upset enough then.

"How?" Her eyes drifted from the fire to the guilt laced expression across his face.

"By kissing Beth..." His voice trailed and made sure to keep his eyes away from hers as he continued. "I'm so stupid. She was crying and begging, I just caved. I didn't want to make her hurt even more by rejecting her..." He paused to run a hand through his hair while Carol stayed silent. "Finally realized in the middle of kissing her she was just taking advantage of my kindness. I was a fool to think giving in was gonna fix anything. Knew it was only a matter of time before I messed this whole thing up..." That was the part of this that hurt the most. From the start he always feared he'd slip up and do something to ruin it all. He never was good with relationships or dealing with others emotions.

"Stop, stop." Carol moved her hand again to rest on his shoulder. "You didn't mess it up. If anything I hope you learned from it. Learned just how desperate and manipulative women can be." She took a sip of her drink that Daryl just now noticed she had.

"Are you drunk?" He asked curiously and took the cup from her. It was filled with wine that had been left in the mini fridge.

"Possibly." Carol smirked and took it back.

With a grunt he leaned against the railing and rubbed his eyes with his palms. "That why you ain't pissed?"

"Honey, I think there are more important things to be pissed about right now. You haven't been serious with a woman your entire life. Seems easier for me to forgive you for a stupid mistake you made under presser while adjusting to your feelings, than for you to forgive me for murdering two innocent people. Pretty sure I got away with a lot more."

Daryl looked through the cracks in his fingers in disbelief. "It's not a competition." He groaned.

Carol turned in her chair to face him. "Do you want me to be angry?"

He didn't move. "No." His voice was slightly muffled with his hands.

"So... whats the problem?" She asked before taking another sip of her wine.

Daryl dropped his hands and went back to flip the meat over before it burned. "I just feel like you should be. I deserve it and I'll understand if you're disgusted and don't forgive me once yer sober."

"I think you feel bad enough, you don't need me to add to it." Which was the truth. She may of been slightly intoxicated, but was coherent enough to make a rational decision. The thought of him kissing someone else hurt to a point, but the sadness in his expression let her know he felt terrible it happened in the first place. Allowing her to believe he'd never make that mistake again. He needed room to grow with the new situations just as she had needed it in the past.

"You have no idea." Daryl spoke softly as he placed some finished meat on a plate. "I'm sorry I was an idiot."

"Look at me." Carol demanded much like all the times he had done to her. She continued once he met her eyes. Eyes that were filled with shame and regret. "You're my idiot though, pookie."

Daryl smiled slightly. "And you're wonderful." He leaned to kiss the exposed skin of her knee that poked through the rip in her jeans. "Will you forgive me?"

Carol reached down to stroke his hair. "Do you love me?"

He instantly looked up at her. "With all my heart..." That was something he'd never lie to her about and told himself he'd never put himself in a situation again to jeopardized what they had. No matter if the person on the other side got hurt. Carol was his everything.

She slid out of her chair to join him on the cool balcony floor. "Then I have no reason to be mad."

Daryl snorted. "We'll see how much that changes in the mornin'." He still expected her to toss him aside like the trash he felt he was.

"Daryl, you made a mistake. It happens. I'm a big girl and have learned not everyone is perfect." She leaned to kiss his cheek. "Now cheer up and enjoy this wine with me."

"I'm good." Their meal had finished cooking so he moved to put out the fire. Not exactly wanting to get drunk. He didn't mind if she did, but someone had to be alert in case something happened.

Carol shrugged. "Suite yourself." With that she chugged what was left.

Daryl shook his head and helped her stand, going back inside.

Beth already had a table set up for the four of them to his surprise, so he placed the plate in the middle of it before going to grab some water. Trying his hardest to not let their dinner turn awkward. It had been a long time since any of them had sat down at the table together. Carol stumbled her way after him to get the corn she had prepared earlier and it quickly joined the rest of the food at the table.

Daryl sat in silence with Carol at his side and Beth and Carl across from them, just listening to the girls talk. Carl didn't look like he wanted to be there and couldn't find a place to join in the conversation of clothes, so he also ate in silence.

Out of nowhere Daryl felt Carol's hand on his leg, slowly crawling it's way up his thigh while she was still chatting with Beth. She squeezed his crotch once her hand made it there and he almost choked on his food while biting his lip to hold back a reaction.

No one seemed to take notice of his sudden jolt, so he gently reached down to still her hand that was now massaging his growing length through his jeans. He was a little taken back she was trying to get him worked up in front of the others, but could only assume it was because she was drunk and more open to not caring what anyone thought.

Carol knocked his hand away and started stroking him again. He instantly dropped an elbow to the table and placed a hand over his mouth, faking a cough to hide the moan she created. The action caused both Carl and Beth to look in his direction, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

"You alright?" Carl asked, thankfully looking away as he took another bite of corn.

"Fine." He lied and reached down again to grab her hand. This time pulling it up to his lips to kiss the back of it, doing anything to keep from coming in his pants or allowing the others to figure out what was happening.

After letting her hand go he was able to finish his dinner without another incident and quickly went to put his dish in the sink. Taking in a deep breath he placed his hands on the counter trying to calm down at how turned on her behavior had him. Just the thought of her being that bold and the feel of her hand on his member started to make him harden once more.

"Shit." Daryl cursed to himself, trying to will the lust on his brain to disappear. He almost had himself under control until warm hands slid over his hips and around his waist causing the previous thoughts to resurface. There was no doubt it was Carol when she started trying to gain access under the front of his jeans, making his whole body tremble.

"What are you doing?" Daryl whispered. Swallowing hard as he glanced over to where Carl and Beth were still sitting at the table.

Carol kissed between his shoulder blades while trying to undo his belt buckle. "Just having some fun." Her fingers fumbled with the hook, unable to make much progress before Daryl carefully put a stop to her mission.

"We ain't alone." He reminded her, still keeping his voice low.

"Don't care." Carol persisted, grabbing his strong bicep to make him turn around and face her. The counter top was high enough to where no one could see what was happening from their waist down so she didn't feel bad about going for his belt again. Daryl started to protest, but she leaned forward and caught his nipple between her teeth through his shirt to shush him. He growled loudly and gripped the back of her silver hair to pull her away shocked and very aroused.

The attention of everyone in the room was now drawn in their direction and Daryl began to turn red, not enjoying the looks the two younger people were giving them.

"Caro-" Daryl's words were cut short to her pressing her soft lips against his in a passionate kiss. The taste of wine still lingered as he slid his tongue over hers, massaging it in a long slow stroke which caused her to moan. The whole situation had him confused since he'd never seen Carol so blunt and open, always being respectful of the others around, but he wasn't going to deny her what she wanted. After breaking the kiss he shifted to grab under her thighs so her legs wrapped around his hips and went toward their bedroom. Mouthing the words 'sorry' to Beth and Carl as he passed since they had been caught in the middle of Carol's antics. The door shut behind them once inside and the familiar sound of a yelp echoed out to the others.

Carl looked to Beth dumbfounded when they were gone. "How can they act like that after the day we had?"

"You've never kissed someone before have you?" Beth asked while cleaning up the table.

Carl shook his head and helped her. "Why would it matter anyways?" He asked.

"Sometimes it can help make the pain go away." It reminded her of what she did to Daryl and instantly felt guilty again. She had only been using him to help make her own pain fade. The pain from missing her family and the pain of jealousy. She quickly brushed that thought away with a shiver, not wanting to remember.

"They could of waited until later. When we weren't around." Carl threw some trash away and looked back over to Beth who was washing a dish. He took it from her to dry once it was clean.

"Carol's been drinking." Beth informed him, having seen her open the bottle. "I'm sure she wouldn't have done anything out here otherwise."

"Still." He replied. "It's kind of gross."

Beth laughed and twisted the rag in her hand to get the water out of it when she was finished. "Kissing isn't gross."

Carl raised his eye brow. "Seeing them do it is." He watched her hang the rag on the side of the sink so it could dry out and it hadn't dawned on him until then just how much he had changed since all this started. Before he would of never been caught cleaning up the dinner table or doing the dishes unless told to.

"They deserve to be happy." Beth admitted, leaning against the counter.

"So do I..." Carl moved so he was by the wall in front of her. "I have no one now." His eyes dropped to the floor then.

"We've all lost someone. We just have to be grateful for the ones we have now." Beth touched his shoulder gently and gave him a soft smile before turning and walking away.

"You going to bed?" Carl asked, moving to catch her.

"Taking a hot bath." She replied with a grin, the word 'hot' Making it sound so much better. That was a luxury none of them had experienced since their days on the farm and the Hotel offered a very big oval tub. The jets would of been nice if the power was on, but at that point she didn't care.

"Can I sit by the door?"

Beth stared at him confused for a moment before she realized he meant outside of the bathroom. "I guess... but why?"

Carl shrugged and broke eye contact, embarrassed for asking. "I just don't want to be alone. Figured we can still talk that way." He looked up again when she grabbed his hand and gave her a half smile, following her willingly as she lead him in that direction.

**-I don't really like the way I wrote this chapter, but hope you enjoyed it anyway. I tried to go back and make it better, but failed to really accomplish anything different. haha ;)-**


	12. Chapter 12

**-Well this is long over due I must say. Made the mistake of reading a million other fics and lost all inspiration for this one momentarily. Oops haha. I will admit this chapter is a little awkward, but I hope it's still interesting.-**

The next day was peaceful. The sun was shinning through the cracks in the curtains to light up the room where the sleeping couple were curled around each other in the sheets. Daryl was laid out on his back with an arm wrapped over Carol's shoulders and his face buried against her hair, while she claimed the crook of his neck to rest her head and had a leg draped over his hips. Out of nowhere Carol suddenly jerked awake much like the morning before and reacted by attacking the first thing in sight.

Daryl was exhausted. Having actually slept heavy for once after their long night of love making he didn't stir at all from her movement. It wasn't until he felt her hand collide with the side of his face hard enough to make his teeth rattle that he finally awoke.

"What the fuck?!" Daryl yelled. Sitting up fast against the headboard trying figure out what the hell had just happened. All he knew was his jaw hurt like someone had stuck a hot fire poker to it and that Carol was standing beside the bed with a hand over her mouth looking like she had just seen a ghost.

"I am so sorry." Carol gasped, obviously in shock at her own actions.

Daryl leaned forward to rub his hands over his eyes and move his jaw around a few times to make sure nothing was loose. He hadn't been hit like that in a long time and the contact just brought up bad memories from his childhood. The last time someone who claimed to love him had struck him in such a way was his father beating the shit out of him with a belt. This was Carol though. He knew she wouldn't intentionally harm him, unless she was just now showing her true emotions for what happened with Beth.

"What was that for?" He groaned, dropping his hands from his face to finally meet her big blue eyes.

"Daryl..." She frowned and sat on the edge of the bed as far away from him as possible once she took in the sight of the huge red mark across his cheek. Her chest tightened at how horrible she felt. "I had a bad dream...When I woke up I still didn't know what was going on and lashed out at the first person I saw."

The distance made him uncomfortable and after knowing it had been an accident let most of his anger and fear fade. He reached over to touch her thigh gently. Letting her know he wasn't mad. "Wanna talk about it?" He asked in a loving tone.

Her shoulders dropped slightly and she sighed, mentally preparing herself to remember the images that caused her nightmares. "Ed's been appearing in my dreams... He had been going after Sophia this time and I couldn't take it anymore. I just lost it and tried to kill him. The bastard's dead and still won't let me be happy..."

"Hey, c'mere." Daryl insisted, pulling her into his lap. "Do I need to go in there and kick his ass?" He smiled trying to make her feel better and let their foreheads rest against one another. The unpleasant reminder of his father still lingered, but was easy to forget when her apologetic eyes stared into his. She was the only person that could make him forget there was still another world going on around them.

Carol half laughed and kissed the tip of his nose. "You don't need to fight all my battles."

"You might be right with the power yer packin'." He smirked. She truly did hit a lot harder than he would of ever expected. The past few years of drifting away from her life with Ed and becoming a stronger person in general had really boosted her body.

That's when she pulled away from his forehead to look at his face again. Her hands carefully slid over the puffy red mark that now rose off his skin. "I really am sorry." She kissed his cheek softly where she had hit, then his lips before shifting to get up.

"I know." Daryl sighed deeply and fell back to lay again. Dreading the day he had to look forward to. His hands found their way through his hair and over his face, trying to wake himself further. The feel of Carol's lips on his were still present and he relished that little bit of pleasure. Needing the reassurance before heading out to the prison and a reason to make sure he came back unharmed. He would fight for that just to be able to feel her again.

Carol left him to his thoughts with a soft smile and went to start the day. She noticed Carl and Beth both sleeping on the couch once she entered the living room. Each at one end so they weren't exactly cuddling, but she was unsure how to feel about the situation. Carol understood Carl just lost his father and would seek comfort from his friend and that wasn't something she would sabotage, she just hoped it wouldn't go any further. Having the talk with two teenagers in the middle of the apocalypse about sex and being careful didn't seem appealing to her in that moment. At least Beth had found someone other than Daryl to spend her time with and Carol prayed she would be smart and not pressure Carl in to anything like she had him.

* * *

The grey station wagon was the last thing Daryl wanted to be caught driving, thinking it would make him seem less threatening to any one he came across, but it was the only way to ensure Rick's body came back with him safely. He had to laugh to himself a little when he thought about how right it had been for Carol, with Beth and Carl in the back riding along like a little family. His family. A grin crossed his face whenever he referred to them as such, it seemed so natural now.

Daryl had fully prepared himself for what he had to do once inside the prison, but when he actually saw Rick's body that's when every wall he had built up to hold back his emotions started to crumbled. He wasn't prepared at all. The man he would of followed to the end, someone he thought of as his blood, his own brother, was gone and in a way so brutal it made Daryl's stomach turn. Rick was the last person he ever expected to fall when the battle began. It just proved once again that no one was safe in this hostel environment.

Daryl had been in the process of wrapping Rick's body in sheets from the Hotel when he heard a sound from down the hall. It sounded like someone had knocked over a tin can and it rolled a few feet, but no other sound followed. He quickly stood and drew his bow from around his back. The hairs on his arms standing at attention with fear as he stepped forward. He silently noted that once he was with the others they were going to get back to training daily and keeping someone on watch. The comfort they had gained from being in the Hotel seemed dangerous. None of them needed to be caught off guard and out of shape because they lost sight of the real world around them. Carol's wall of bodies worked out wonderfully, but maybe next time they wouldn't be so lucky, or it could be the living they faced.

A part of Daryl sighed from relief when he realized it was just a lone walker, but deep down he was hoping a familiar face would greet him. One that was still able to speak actual words. He reached to his belt and pulled his knife from its leather sheath to effortlessly put the walker down, before continuing with his previous task.

Daryl managed to get Rick out to the vehicle without another walker encounter and carefully lowered his body in the back with the seats folded down. A strong urge to hit something suddenly ran through his body at the frustration of having to burying his friend. The situation becoming too real as he glanced into the rear view mirror at the white sheets that were now stained with dirt, blood and rotting flesh. His jaw clenched and he forced himself to start the car with a curse.

The ride back was excruciating. It was hard enough to keep himself from constantly looking in the mirror, but the smell was almost impossible to ignore. He wished Carol or someone was there to talk with, to keep his mind distracted enough to at least make it back to the Hotel with some sanity left.

A great deal of pressure fell from Daryl's chest when it finally came in to view. Sighing heavily once the car was in park and the engine silent he dropped his head to the steering wheel briefly to gather his thoughts, but was quickly interrupted to the sound of someone walking over. Carl was standing by the window and Daryl glared uncontrollably. "What are you doing?" Daryl asked, removing himself from where he sat and slammed the door harder than intended.

Carl jumped slightly, but didn't back away. Not appreciating the glare. "Helping."

"The hell you are." Daryl snorted and went to open the hatch. "Go back inside."

"No." Carl insisted. Instantly regretting it once he saw his father in the back wrapped up like a mummy.

Daryl shifted to place himself between the body and Carl when he noticed the teens face drop. His mood softened some at the fact Carl was still torn up about the loss. He already knew how he felt, but seeing him trying to process it all made him realize he needed a different approach. His anger wouldn't fix anything. "You shouldn't have to deal with this part." Daryl felt a bit selfish then. The main reason he wanted to be alone to bury Rick was in case he broke down. He didn't want anyone else to see him that way.

Carl's eyes met Daryl's when he blocked his view and he tried to take in consideration what Daryl said, but his mind was made up. "You can't stop me."

Daryl grunted, defeated. "Fine." He tossed him a pick axe and shovel out of the back before grabbing Rick's body.

There was a place across the street by the woods where Daryl and Carl had gone hunting that connected to a small field where they decided his grave should be. Carl ultimately deciding his final resting place. Daryl gently placed Rick in the shade under an oak tree before heading back out in the high noon sun, taking the pick axe from Carl.

Sweat dripped from Daryl's brow as he forcefully swung the axe down to loosen the dirt for the hundredth time. Probably a little more forceful than needed, but the fact he was burying Rick still hadn't settled well with him. He found it difficult to accept he was actually gone and was now in charge of taking care of his son and making sure he grew up in this world the best way possible. It was a lot more to take in than he expected. Daryl growled as he chopped into a root and cursed when it didn't give the first time. He tossed his tool to the side and dropped to his knees to work at it with his hands.

Carl tried to help, but felt like any time he got too close to Daryl it only pissed him off more that he was there in the first place. They were both in agreement the situation was terrible and set them on edge, but the constant glares and swearing coming from Daryl wasn't making it any easier.

"Daryl." Carl yelled, finally getting tired of his attitude and jumped down into the hole with him. "Move." He demanded, still holding his shovel.

Daryl looked at the kid annoyed and reached up with his dirty hand to push him away with a grunt. Carl instantly grabbed his wrist on instinct and jerked him back hard enough that Daryl stumbled and fell on his ass. Normally Carl wouldn't be able to over power the older redneck, but Daryl hadn't anticipated such a reaction out of him.

The tension in Daryl from keeping his emotions bottled up inside came out and he quickly got to his feet and fist his hand in the front of Carl's shirt, dragging him out of the hole. "Do we have a problem?" Daryl glared at Carl with an intensity that caused the boy to look away.

Carl's smaller hand wrapped around Daryl's that was on his shirt and tried to pull him off, but he didn't budge. He could hear his own heart beat quicken in his ears as Daryl's temper flared, afraid of what he might do.

"Do we?" Daryl asked again after a long pause of silence. He was so close to Carl's face he could feel his breath against his chin.

"No." Carl whispered and Daryl let him go with a light shove. Carl straightened his shirt and squared his shoulders once he wasn't in a helpless position and finally looked up to meet Daryl's eyes. "Sorry."

Daryl sighed after realizing exactly what he did. This wasn't Carl's fault and he was taking his anger out on him for no reason. It was Carl's father after all, he should have every right to help and do as he pleased when it came to this. Daryl ran his fingers through his hair and sat down on the ground with his legs dangling over the side of the hole. "Don't apologize. I'm the one bein' an ass. Never was good at this kind of thing."

Carl stayed standing, but walked over to stand beside Daryl. "I've seen you dig graves before." He informed.

"That was different."

Carl sat then and played with the shovel handle as he spoke. "How so?"

"Your father was an important man." Daryl leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees and glanced over to the teen. "I'm sorry... for over reacting and for your Dad."

"It's not your fault. At least well all still have each other." He slammed the shovel down against the root Daryl had been working on and cut it free. "Don't get me wrong, I didn't think I was going to make it last night. Beth and I stayed up and just talked. She helped a lot."

Daryl kept silent and just watched Carl. He was a lot more aware of life than he gave the boy credit for. The loss of his father was probably the worst thing he could go through right now, but he didn't lose his head. Carl was growing up and turning out to be a decent young man. Much different from the rebel he remembered back on the farm that tried to get in as much trouble as possible and wouldn't listen to anyone.

"Gettin' sweet on her all of a sudden?" Daryl teased. Glad to change the subject.

A shy smirk crossed Carl's face. "Well you have Carol. Figured if Beth wasn't around you and her would be too busy locked up in the bedroom to notice I existed."

Daryl's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. "That's not true." He hadn't realized just how much alone time him and Carol had together.

Carl just raised his eye brow in amusement.

"I thought she hated you?" Daryl asked as he jumped down to start digging again. Talking with Carl was helping keep his mind away from his feelings.

Carl shrugged and scooped some dirt out of the hole and over his shoulder into a pile. "Are all women that difficult?"

Daryl looked over at him. "Are we really having this conversation?"

"Thought this is what guys did?" Carl asked. He hadn't really bonded with another man other than his father and even there at the end it was strained. Since he had been older the only other guy friend he had was Patrick and they didn't talk about girls.

"I'm the last person you should come to about women." Daryl admitted and pulled himself from the grave.

Carl dropped it and followed Daryl over to his father's body. They both carefully lowered him into the ground and a sense of peace washed over Carl when he took in the sight. He was still heart broken he'd never get to grow up with his father, share stories, have conversations about girls or any of the stuff a father and son were suppose to do. However he knew this life and knew anyone's time could be cut short. Having lost so many along the way he figured his own mind had created a shield of some sort to help him deal with losing Rick.

"Daryl?" Carl spoke softly.

Daryl looked up in acknowledgement from where he had been tossing dirt over the body.

"Promise me you wont go anywhere?" Carl felt slightly uncomfortable asking something so personal of Daryl, but he didn't wont to be alone and end up like his Dad.

Daryl tensed and opened his mouth to speak, but closed it back again, having to actually think of what to say. He never wanted to play any sort of father figure for Carl, but knew he would do anything to protect him. "You know that's a promise I can't keep..." Which was the truth.

"I know, but..." Carl looked pained. "It's just nice to feel like someone cares."

"Of course I care, we all do." Daryl stopped what he was doing and placed a hand on Carl's shoulder. "We aren't going anywhere."

Carl leaned in to his touch briefly. "Thanks."

After the hole was filled Carl took the time to make a marker to place at the head of the grave. The only thing he could find was a big boulder that him and Daryl had to roll out of the woods. He scratched his fathers name into the stone with his knife then went with Daryl back across the street to the Hotel. Once they were cleaned up they would have a proper funeral.

They walked up the stairs and back to their room in silence. Daryl's only mission right then was to find Carol. To feel her warm body pressed against him and her lips on his again. Leaving that morning would of been difficult to bare if it wasn't for the memory of her taste to remind him what to fight for. The afternoon spent putting Rick in the ground left his body rigid and he knew she was the only one who could calm him.

Daryl found her in their shared bedroom putting clean clothes away and quickly grabbed her chin once she faced him, bringing her soft lips to his in a piercing kiss. Much rougher than he would of normally acted, but he needed her, to feel her, to know she was really there. She buckled under his touch, taken off guard and before Daryl knew what was happening he was slamming her against the wall with a hand digging into her hip, groaning. Carol's breath hitched from the impact and it took him a moment to realize she was pushing him away.

"You alright?" Carol asked in a confused tone at Daryl's actions. Her eyes scanning his for answers.

Daryl stood speechless, bringing both of his hands up to cup Carol's face, kissing her slower this time. Her reaction was still to push him away, but he grabbed both her wrists gently to stop her instead, placing them at her sides. He didn't want to talk about his feelings and the fact he just needed her to be there for him, not wanting to feel weak in front of the woman he loved. Carol had seen him at his worst before and it was an unpleasant experience to have her look at him as if he were less a man. He wouldn't let that happen again.

"I need you." Was all Daryl could get out in a whisper.

Carol jerked from his hold and shoved him hard enough against his chest that he fell back onto the bed with a slight look of fear in his eyes. She grinned at her accomplishment and straddled his hips in one swift movement. She didn't know what was going on in his head, but felt like asking would be pointless.

"Then have me." Carol hissed, ripping Daryl's shirt open, which caused buttons to go flying across the room. If he wanted to play rough, she wasn't going to deny him the opportunity. It only turned her on more.

Daryl growled and sat up to kiss down her neck, his heart pounding with a primal urge to claim what was his.

"God, I love you." He spoke against her skin and reached around to grip her ass with both his hands. Flipping them over so she was now laying on her back. He settled between her legs and thrust against her hips, allowing her to feel just how much he wanted her.

Carol clawed at his shoulders and moaned, pushing his shirt down his arms and tossing it in the floor before grabbing his hair and forcing him back to her lips. She bit down on him hard enough to break the skin and he jerked his head away with a groan. His hand gently touched where she bit to reveal that he was bleeding. "Damn woman. That how you wanna play?" He threatened and licked the blood off his lip before kissing her again.

She sucked the cut into her mouth softly in an apologizing manner while trying to snake her hands between their bodies to unbuckle his belt. He roughly pulled her hands away and pinned them above her head.

"No." Daryl growled, reaching down with a free hand to unbutton her jeans and rip them down her legs to meet his shirt in the floor. He unsheathed his knife from its holder at his waist and slid it up her thigh carefully, blade side up, stopping at her panties. Carol shook under the cool touch of the blade and met his eyes, searching for anything to help figure out what was going through his head.

Daryl sliced the side of her panties open and she gasped, thrusting her hips toward him uncontrollably. To keep from cutting her, he let her hands go, holding her still to cut the other side. He tossed the now ruined material to the floor, along with his knife. The freedom allowed her to lean forward and go after his belt again. Which he put a stop to. "I said no."

"I wasn't asking." Carol threw back at him. Letting him know she could be just as demanding as he was. Her hands made quick work of his belt and jeans, sliding them down his legs before he could protest. In return he pulled her shirt over her head and hastily tore her bra off. Breaking the clasp in the process.

Carol glared at him, angry he was destroying all her clothes and shoved him to stand. Making them switch positions so he was now laying back on the bed with his legs over the edge. She removed his jeans from his feet once she untied his boots and pulled his underwear down before dropping to her knees and taking his erection in her hand.

Daryl propped himself up on his elbows so he could watch her and moaned when the tip of her tongue came in contact with his throbbing cock. He'd actually never had a woman do this for him before, so he wasn't about to make her stop. His mission from the start was to just dominate her and take what was his, but now she had him crumbling under her touch.

Carol smirked at her victory and kept eye contact while sliding her tongue down his shaft before taking him fully into her mouth.

"You sneaky lit-" Daryl groaned loudly, cutting himself off from his previous words when she sucked around him. His hand instantly dropped and his fingers ran through her short hair. Gripping it gently when she started moving up and down his length. There was no way he would last, his legs were already shaking.

He could feel the vibrations of her own moan as he slid down her throat and that almost did him in. His elbows gave out and he fell back against the bed, grabbing a fist full of the sheet. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed their bedroom door was still cracked and he instantly tensed when he could see Carl. His face wasn't pressed up against the door, but he was definitely looking in on them, trying to be discreet. Daryl was going to kill him. Every time he finally started to think the kid was normal he did some weird shit like this.

Daryl debated whether or not to stop Carol and go take care of Carl, but it was too late. She bit down on the base of his cock with her mouth still around him and he came within seconds. His eyes fell shut and he chewed on the inside of his mouth to try and hold back his moan since they had an audience. He quickly changed his mind. Not wanting to deny Carol the satisfaction of pleasing her man just because they had a peeping Tom he let out a groan while still riding out his orgasm. He slid a hand over her shoulder and the other down the length of her arm, speaking her name softly through his panting. Something told him this would of been much more enjoyable if Carl hadn't been watching them.

Carol wiped her mouth and slid up his body with a smile, completely unaware of Carl. Daryl shifted then to sit up so his back blocked the view from the door and pulled Carol against his chest, kissing her collar bone and the crook of her neck. "Yer amazing." He breathed into her ear. He didn't know how long Carl had been there, but keeping Carol's naked body covered was his new priority. Hell he didn't even know if Carl had noticed he'd been caught in the first place. Daryl only had him in his line of view a few seconds.

"Good to know I still got what it takes in that department." Carol laughed and kissed his forehead.

Daryl moved them so she was laying on the bed with his body hovering over her. "No complaints here." He grinned, completely satisfied and gave her a quick kiss. "Think you'll be alright for a few minutes while I go take care of somethin'?"

Carol gave him a confused look, but before she could protest he kissed her again, long and hard. "I'll be back before you know it, promise." She gave him a nod and with that he moved from the bed to stand, covering her with the sheet before sliding his jeans on with nothing underneath. He buckled his belt and left the room, closing the door behind him with a slam that caused Carol to jump.

Carl was still in the living room trying to play innocent once he realized he'd been caught and Daryl stalked over to him with a glare that could kill. He whacked Carl in the side of the head and grabbed his upper arm.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Carl pleaded, holding the side of his head as Daryl pulled him out into the hall way.

"What the hell was that about?" Daryl yelled, squeezing Carl's arm hard enough that he winced in pain.

"You're hurting me." Carl whined, trying to pull Daryl's hand off him.

"Answer me." Daryl demanded, not going to put up with this type of behavior. He didn't know why the situation pissed him off so much, but it got under his skin. Something about Carl seeing Carol that way frustrated him. Not to mention the fact their intimate moment had been invaded by prying eyes, by a minor none the less.

Daryl finally let him go and Carl reached up to rub his arm where he had been holding. Daryl could tell by the way Carl looked at him that he was ashamed for what he did, but it still didn't explain anything.

"Well?" Daryl continued, crossing his arms.

Carl sighed and looked down at his feet. "I was just curious..."

Daryl raised an eye brow. "About what exactly? You realize how embarrassed Carol would be if she had seen you? I understand yer dealin' with your teenage hormones and shit, but that's just fuckin' creepy."

Carl tensed and shifted his weight from one leg to the other. "I just wanted to know how to be with a woman... So I wouldn't be awkward around Beth."

Daryl quickly jerked Carl's head up by his chin to meet his eyes. "You ever touch Beth like that and Ima beat yer ass." He was dead serious. This wasn't the time for two inexperienced people to get involved with one another that way. Beth was technically an adult and could make her own decisions, but Daryl still needed to look out for his family. He felt like a bit of a hypocrite since he was around Carl's age when he lost his virginity, but it also hadn't been when the world had gone to shit. Mistakes from fooling around then could cost them their lives.

The sudden touch startled Carl and he started to fumble his words. "I wasn't... not... no...wait."

Daryl was about to speak again, but Carol opened the door and poked her head out in their direction. "Everything okay?" She asked concerned, growing impatient at waiting for him to come back.

"We'll continue this later." Daryl whispered so Carol wouldn't hear and Carl nodded in response nervously. Daryl turned to face Carol and gave her a smile as he walked over. "Yep."


	13. Chapter 13

**-Thank you guys for the wonderful support and reviews, its amazing and makes me a enjoy writing this for you all even more. Here is a light hearted chapter that is shorter than normal, but I hope you still like it :)-**

"Eight more." Daryl demanded, leaning against the station wagon. It had been a week since the funeral and now he had everyone training and running drills. He hadn't had a chance to talk to Carl again since their little incident, but having him struggle to finish his push ups seemed like punishment enough for now.

Carol and Beth were running laps around the building while Daryl kept watch and pushed Carl to his breaking point. The teen flopped onto his stomach out of breath and sighed.

"You still got three more." Daryl nudged him with his foot and he let out a soft grunt.

"Why don't you have to do this?" Carl asked while trying to finish his last three.

"Someones gotta keep watch." Daryl grinned at the glare Carl gave him and reached into his pocket for a smoke. He'd been lucky to snag a pack out of a car on their last run that hadn't been open. He flipped his zippo and lit the cigarette that was between his teeth, inhaling the smoke deep in his lungs. The feel of nicotine running through his body again made him light headed, but it instantly calmed his nerves.

"Its the end of the world and you're gonna kill yourself from smoking?" Carl asked rolling his eyes as he stood.

"Least I'll die happy." Daryl said with a shrug and took another puff as Carol and Beth gave a quick wave while they ran by. "Why don't you go join them?" Daryl motioned with a nod toward the girls.

"After you just made me attempt a hundred push ups? No way." Carl scoffed.

Daryl was about to say something when a gun shot went off, causing him and Carl to both jump at the sound echoing off the buildings.

"Daryl?!" A voice yelled from across the parking lot that didn't belong to Beth or Carol and another shot followed soon after.

Daryl's head quickly snapped up in the direction the yell came from, his bow at the ready. He immediately dropped it when Sasha and Maggie came running over to him as a walkers body fell in the distance. Apparently from the second gun shot.

"Are you trying to call every walker for miles?" Daryl hissed, flicking his cigarette butt to the ground. This place had been a luxury to find with so few threats in the surrounding area and he didn't want to ruin that for them. He was more than happy to see some familiar faces, but right then he had to make sure Beth and Carol were alright. They had been on the other side of the building when the shots went off so that's where he headed. Hopefully they hadn't taken off in the opposite direction for safety.

"Nice to see you too." Sasha mocked Daryl's attitude and watched him walk away.

"Is anyone else with you? Judith?" Carl asked nervously.

Maggie shook her head sadly. "We left the prison with Bob, he got taken down a few days ago and we've just been trying to survive since. Is it just you and Daryl here?"

"Maggie?!" Beth cried out as she ran to her sister. That answering her question as they crashed in to one another in a warm embrace.

Daryl came around the corner with Carol by his side and she quickly went to join the reunion. Daryl stayed back to make sure nothing caught them off guard and to stay away from the tears and hugs. He never did well with crying women in the first place, plus he hated being touched by anyone other than Carol.

"We should probably head inside." Daryl interrupted. Still worried the sound may draw in walkers and possibly the curiosity of the living.

Carol gave them the run down of their situation as they walked the stair well. Letting the girls know they were more than welcome to claim any other room on the third floor if they wanted to be alone or more mattresses could be piled in theirs if they didn't feel safe.

Daryl went out on the balcony to keep watch while everyone else made arrangements. He found comfort in a chair he'd grown to know well over the time they had been there and sighed. Dropping his bow to lean against the railing by his side before rubbing his hands over his eyes. The odds of Maggie and Sasha finding them like they had seemed like one in a million and a wave of relief ran over Daryl. It gave him a little bit of hope that it was possible to find the others and a smile crossed his face. It was nice to have hope once again after losing Rick.

A few hours passed the familiar sound of the door sliding open caught Daryl's attention, but he didn't move at first. Just stood with his back to the door, leaning with his elbows against the railing enjoying a smoke before glancing over his shoulder to see Maggie. She moved to stand beside him and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear before she spoke.

"I just wanted to thank you for taking care of Beth. Carol informed me of everything you've done for them. I don't know how id feel if something terrible had happened to her..." Her voice trailed off a little at the end. Hoarse from all the emotions shared with the others earlier in the day.

Daryl took a drag off his cigarette and looked over at her. "Don't give me all the credit. Shes more of a fighter than you think."

Maggie smiled a little and turned to face him. "Even if. Thank you."

Daryl shrugged. "Just doin' what anyone else would of."

Maggie reached out to gently touch his arm in a grateful manner and he tensed away. She didn't say anything about it so he wouldn't feel uncomfortable and retracted her arm gracefully. "Dinners ready." She politely informed him before going back inside.

Daryl gave her a nod and watched her go in silence. He felt kind of awkward reacting to Maggie in such a way, but he couldn't help it. He had adapted to the life of just the four of them and forgot how the comfort of others could effect his emotions. It kind of threw him back in to old habits of trying to avoid any physical contact or large groups of chit chat. With a sigh he sat back down shortly just to finish his smoke before going to join the others.

Dinner consisted of conversation about the past, life at the prison and the struggles each of them had endured since. The new arrivals learned of Rick's death and both offered their condolences to Carl, who was slowly getting over the loss. Beth and Maggie talked about where they could look to find their father and the possibilities of where the bus had gone with Glenn and the other residence. Sasha of course worried about the fate of her brother and Carol tried not to winch at the mention of Tyreese after their altercation. Lizzie and Mike were in the back of Carol's mind any time the last day of the prison was mentioned, but she did a good job of hiding how she really felt. Dwelling on something she couldn't change would only make herself miserable.

Maggie explained how they had been leaving a gas station when a walker came around a corner and bit Bob and how Sasha had been the one to put a bullet between his eyes. She shuddered at the memory and Maggie gave her support with a hand on her shoulder and a soft smile. They were both safe now and had found more than they ever expected.

Daryl was the only one who sat in silence throughout their whole meal. He really didn't have much to say and no one questioned his avoidance, so he didn't bother trying to start a conversation. After everyone was finished the girls worked on cleaning dishes and getting things prepared for bed, while Carl went to keep watch on the balcony. Daryl sat on the couch with his elbow on the arm rest and his head dropped forward in his palm. The day of running drills and keeping watch had exhausted him. Along with a room full of women.

Daryl cracked open an eye when he heard someone walk over and looked up at Carol who had a pained expression on her face. "Whats wrong?" He asked, concerned.

Carol sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose as she sat down beside him. "Just a headache."

Daryl turned his body so he had a leg propped up on the couch, with his back against the arm rest and his other leg hanging over the edge. "Here, lay down." He reached out to guide her so her head rest in his lap and she was laying with her eyes to the ceiling.

Carol moaned softly in pleasure as he gently rubbed circles on her temples and then down her neck and shoulders, releasing any tension in her muscles he could find. They had medicine, but they both knew it should be rationed wisely.

"What is this?" Sasha looked over at the couple from a few feet away with a smirk on her face.

Daryl instantly tensed at being watched and retracted his hands from Carol's body. He didn't know if she told them anything yet, or if she wanted their business out in the open. Beth and Carl obviously knew how they were now, but anyone else only remembered Daryl as being awkward when it came to Carol back at the prison.

Carol opened her eyes when Daryl stopped the massage to see Sasha with her arms crossed waiting for an answer. "What?" Carol asked with a grin.

Sasha rolled her eyes and held her hands out to gesture at the two of them and what they were doing. "This! You two." She couldn't hide her excitement at their closeness.

Daryl turned his head away from the conversation and blushed in embarrassment.

Carol reached up to grab his hand and laced their fingers together, resting their hands on her stomach. She couldn't see Daryl's face, but could only imagine how red he must of been. She didn't want him to have to fear the reaction of others if they knew about their relationship. "I guess its whatever you think it is."

"It's about time!" Maggie called from the kitchen where her and Beth were putting dishes away and the sisters giggled.

Daryl dropped his face against the back of the couch and groaned into the material. "Can we not do this?" His voice was muffled and Carol couldn't help but chuckle in amusement.

Sasha walked up and nudged Daryl's foot with hers to get his attention. "I'm just glad you finally realized what was right in front of you all this time."

Daryl only moved enough to where he wouldn't suffocate and frowned. "I've always known..."

"Hey, no arguing here. I'm happy for you two." Sasha defended with a smile and left them alone to go make up a bed for herself.

Carol looked up at Daryl once Sasha walked away and smiled while reaching to touch his face. He moved into her hand and shut his eyes with a sigh. "You don't have to shy away, no one here is going to judge you or us." Carol whispered so no one else could hear.

Daryl nodded and went back to rubbing her like he had before. After a while she noticed his movements slowed and eventually stopped. When she sat up she looked over to see him sleeping with his head rested against the back of the couch. Carol knew the day had been tiring with all the training, so she let him sleep for a little while until she was ready to go to bed.

For now she went to check on the others and make sure everyone got settled in. The room that Carl and Beth had been sharing was split with Maggie and Beth in a bed and Sasha in the other Carl had used. He would be placed on the couch for now, until they could get another bed moved in. The three girls were all piled on one mattress and they smiled at Carol's entrance, motioning for her to come join in the conversation.

"So you and Daryl huh?" Sasha teased with a light push to her arm when she sat down on the bed.

Carol blushed and gave a shy nod. Finding it a little entertaining the younger women found her personal life interesting.

"How did that happen exactly?" Maggie asked curiously. "We always remembered him avoiding anyone as much as possible. Even with all your hints thrown his way." She winked and leaned back against the headboard.

Carol rubbed the back of her neck with a smile. "You guys know how he is. Just took him a little longer to open up I guess. The feelings have always been there though, for both of us." All the girls sat around like she was telling a ghost story or something. Gathering their full attention.

"Are you...physical?" Sasha asked bluntly.

"Ooohhh yeah. " Beth answered for her with a laugh. "More than we care to talk about."

"Beth!" Carol scolded as she turned another shade of red. "I forgot how brutal you girls can be."

"Really?" Maggie asked thinking it was wonderful. They deserved to be happy with one another. "I'm surprised he lets anyone touch him to be honest." She said while remembering their encounter out on the balcony when she tried to touch his arm.

"Guess I got lucky." Carol said with a chuckle.

"He's actually pretty normal." Beth added, having seen his changes over the past few weeks. "And he loves her a lot."

"Dropping the 'L' word already?" Sasha pointed out with a surprised look. "Go you."

Carol smiled and shifted on the bed. "Come on guys, my love life can't be that interesting."

"The fact you got Daryl Dixon to show any sort of emotion is by far a miracle." Maggie grunted playfully.

"Daryl is perfect the way he is. He provides and protects us, so what if hes a little socially deprived. He knows how to love a woman the right way and that's all I need." Carol replied confidently. "What about you?" Carol said looking over at Beth. "I saw you and Carl cuddled up on the couch the other morning."

Beth sank down in the bed. "What?" Her face gave away her embarrassment instantly.

"No ma'am!" Maggie said with a light slap to her sisters thigh. "After Zach, no more boys."

"There's nothing going on!" Beth defended. "We're just friends, I swear!"

Carol smirked, glad the attention was away from her and the other girls found someone else to gang up on. It was a little mean, but it was all in good fun.

There was a knock at the door then and everyone looked up. "Carol?" Daryl called through the crack he made, afraid to open it all the way.

"Yeah?" She responded, getting up to go over to him while the girls made kissing sounds at her playfully. "Oh Grow up." Carol hissed at them with a shy smile. They reminded her of little kids.

"Everythin' alright?" Daryl asked as she opened the door the rest of the way. He finally took in the sight of them all sitting on the bed. "Oh...sorry. Just didn't know where ya went." He kind of felt like an idiot just standing there with everyone looking in his direction.

"It's fine. I was just leaving." Carol said, turning to give the others a wave.

"Awww come on." Sasha teased. "Things were just getting good."

Daryl raised his eye brow. "Do I even wanna know?"

"You go in there and they're gonna tear your head off." Carol whispered and he didn't argue. "Night girls." With that they left together while the others continued giving Beth a hard time.

Daryl stopped in the kitchen with her and placed his hand on her cheek lovingly. "Sorry I fell asleep."

Carol leaned in to his hand and shut her eyes briefly. "You needed the rest."

"We can still see you!" Sasha called from the bedroom with laughter and Carol dropped her head against her palm.

"I am so sorry." Carol apologized to Daryl.

Daryl didn't care anymore after remembering what she had said to him earlier about not shying away from their relationship. Plus he didn't want to deprive his woman of affection because they had new roommates. Just to mess with them he placed his free hand on her hip and pulled her flush against his chest, dipping his head to kiss her long and hard.

The sudden action caused Carol to moan against him uncontrollably and whistles echoed through the kitchen from Maggie and Sasha. Carol was beyond mortified and if Daryl hadn't been there holding her in place she would of went to find a rock to hide under. She took in the comfort of his warm body pressed against hers after a few minutes and got completely lost in his movements. His tongue slid over hers and she could feel a low growl of pleasure rumble up his chest and into her mouth. It went straight between her legs, making her knees buckle and thats when she forced herself to pulled away. Not wanting to get herself too worked up in front of the others.

Daryl felt satisfied when the girls didn't say anything further and gave her another quick kiss "I'll meet you in the bedroom." He said with a wink and went to relieve Carl from watch.


	14. Chapter 14

**-Here you go guys. Love you all and thank you for the reviews! Means a lot. This chapter was super hard to write for some reason and I dunno if I'm happy with it at all, but I guess that's normal for most writers. Anyway, enjoy!-**

"They're gonna have to move across the hall." Daryl said to Carol upon entering their bedroom. Referring to Maggie and Sasha.

Carol chuckled and looked over in his direction. "Can't handle anymore women?"

"You're all the woman I need." Daryl said with a smirked and shut the door behind him. He slid his vest down his shoulders and kicked his boots off into the corner of the room with a grunt, his feet instantly aching. Carol was already bundled up under a blanket in bed so he walked over to sit down beside her while unbuttoning his shirt. He was more than ready to spend some alone time with his woman. Before he could finish with his task she reached out to touch his arm gently, pulling him down to her soft lips to kiss him long and slow. Her free hand gliding over his jaw line, feeling the stubble there and then around the back of his neck to thread her fingers through his hair.

Daryl bit her lip as he pulled away only enough to speak. "I love you." His voice was kept low, almost a whisper and Carol's heart tugged against her chest. She couldn't help but smile every time she heard him speak those words.

"I love you too." She pushed his long bangs out of his face and rest her hand on his cheek until he opened his eyes, stroking his skin lightly. His beautiful blue orbs stared in to hers with more love than she had ever seen in her entire life. She couldn't understand the reaction from Maggie and Sasha about Daryl when they realized he was capable of such feelings. Sure he was a bit of a loner, but he was still human and able to love.

Carol sat up more allowing the blanket to fall and that's when Daryl realized she was already completely naked. He grinned and instantly attacked her neck with kisses. Sucking on her collar bone briefly before licking all the way down to her exposed hard nipple. He bit her carefully and swirled his tongue around the tight nub to sooth the pain he created. She gasped and thrust her chest toward his touch which caused him to moan against her, his body already reacting to the sound she made.

"This has to go." Carol whined at the offending material of his shirt while trying to tug it down his arms.

Daryl found it amusing she couldn't seem to get it to do what she wanted and she frowned in disappointment. He waited until she gave up and finally removed it himself, tossing it to the floor. "Happy?"

Carol pouted and shook her head.

He reached up to slide his thumb over her bottom lip lovingly. "What is it you want sweetheart?"

Her intentions at first were to complain about his pants still being on, but his actions and words caused her emotions to flutter in a different direction. She moved so she was on her knees and guided him to lay back. He went willingly. Her hand slid over his chest feeling his tight muscles and stopped at his heart before dipping her head to kiss right above it. She continued her movements so her hands rubbed over his shoulders and down his strong arms as if trying to make a map in her head of every inch and detail of his body. Daryl propped himself up on his elbows and she eventually ended with her hands cupping his cheeks, kissing him passionately.

Daryl enjoyed the touch as if he could feel every bit of her emotions poured through her palms and into his soul. Something so simple that most took for granted is what made him the happiest and he was glad they were connected enough with one another to be able to share the sensation. He kissed her back with an intensity that caused Carol to pull away breathless with a look in her eyes that made his heart ache.

"Don't ever leave me..." She whispered, almost in desperation.

Daryl's brows furrowed and he reached up to rest his hand on her shoulder. "You know I'd never do that." He flipped them swiftly then so she was laying on her back and his body was hovered over her enough that he could reach between them and start undoing his belt.

Carol kept eye contact with the movement and gripped his biceps. "But you don't know what could happen tomorrow. You could get bit or we could get separated, or-"

Daryl cut her off before she could say more. "Shhh, not gonna happen." He gave her a quick kiss for reassurance and unbuttoned his jeans. Anytime Carol feared the possibility of them not being together at least informed him of just how much she truly cared, but it crushed him at the same time. Because he knew he could never make her the promise that he'd be around forever. Anything could happen to either one of them, but actually given the choice he'd never leave her. That much he was sure of. "I'm not goin' anywhere."

Carol bit her lip to hide her frown and gave him a nod. Something as wonderful as Daryl coming in to her life seemed almost impossible. She was going to do anything to protect him and what they had.

Daryl moved back on his knees after giving her a kiss and straddled her waist, unzipping his pants. He slid his jeans down as far as he could without having to move and ran his hand over the undeniable bulge behind his boxers with a groan. "You never told me what you wanted?" His voice was husky and deep.

Carol could of melted with the way he stared at her and she reached up to pull his boxers down, but he grabbed her wrists gently. "That ain't no answer."

She glared up at him playfully for stopping her, but gave in to his little game. "Make love to me." She groaned.

Daryl growled at the sexy tone she used and quickly stood to remove the rest of his clothing. He had one knee on the bed about to ravage her until she spoke again. "But I want to be on top."

"Hell yes." Daryl breathed. The thought of her in complete control made him almost loose his load right then. He sat on the bed while she climbed in his lap and caressed his hands up her smooth legs, stopping to rest at her waist. Carol leaned forward to claim his lips in a deep kiss. Each fighting a battle of dominance with their tongues until Daryl finally gave in and let her pull away with his bottom lip between hers, sucking softly.

Daryl maneuvered his hand between her legs even though she fought it and slid a finger across her folds. Causing her to shiver against him with a hiss. The reaction motivated him to carefully plunged a finger inside her, moaning loudly at how wet she was for him already. "Fuck." He swore. His own legs shook then and he dropped his forehead against her shoulder as he thrust his finger in and out of her slick entrance.

Carol's breathing sped up at his movements and she couldn't take it anymore. With a shove to his shoulders he fell back to lay and she shifted her hips over his throbbing cock, skillfully lowering herself down his length slowly to savoir the sensation. Daryl let out gasp when she settled on him fully. It was always a shock to him to have the feeling of being completely inside her.

Carol stayed like that for several minutes before setting a nice rhythm, kissing over his cheek and down his neck as he gripped her hips and tried to thrust into her harder. She didn't give. Making sure to keep the slow pace to tease him and he grunted in frustration.

As much as he wanted to flip her over and take back the control he contained himself and chewed on the inside of his cheek to keep from losing it. "Please." Daryl begged, digging his finger tips into her skin.

Carol grinned at his desperation and decided to stop torturing him. She slammed her hips down against his hard and he held her firmly. Making sure she couldn't slow the pace again and torment him. That bit of his control was lost in the fact he needed to feel her. Bending his knees slightly, he placed his heels against the bed to gain leverage to thrust into her faster.

"Daryl..." Carol moaned, dropping her head against the crook of his neck while scratching down his chest. "Touch me..." She pleaded and he knew exactly what she wanted. Her muscles clamped around him the closer she got to her release and he reached down to rub her clit with his thumb expertly. He'd learned over time just the way to touch her to send her over the edge and just like predicted a few minutes later she was gone. Crashing down against him in uneven movements as her orgasm shattered throughout her body. Daryl kept a hold on her hips to keep thrusting as he built his own release. He could feel he was close, but didn't want to finish just yet.

Carol eventually slowed, breathing heavy and moaning softly as she looked up at him in pure ecstasy. It took her a moment to realize he was still moving. His thrust were slow and shallow, teasing himself as he road the edge and she lazily moved off him. He instantly whimpered in protest at the loss of her wetness wrapped around him and tried to pull her back, but she batted his hands away and wrapped her own around his shaft. Stroking firmly.

"Its my turn to touch you." She said with a grin and at every up stroke she slid her thumb over his tip, squeezing the rest of the way on the down stroke. He was already soaked from her juices so her hand glided along with ease and in no time he was shaking and jerking into her hand as cum shot across his chest and stomach. Carol's eyes were fixated on his face, watching his expressions as the wave of his orgasm ran its course.

Daryl closed his eyes as he tried to catch his breath and Carol went to grab a towel. He took it from her once she returned and cleaned himself off with a sigh, instantly falling back to lay again, completely worn out. Not caring he tossed the dirty towel into their conjoined bathroom from where he was laying and pulled her to join him.

They got under the blanket and Carol snuggled up against his side, idly tracing the muscles in his chest and along his abs while he played with her hair. "I like this." Daryl said, kissing her forehead.

Carol smiled and shut her eyes. "Me too. I've never had the chance to do this before."

Daryl chuckled. "Neither have I."

Carol lay silent for a bit still keeping her hand moving across his skin. "Can I ask you something?" Her voice was soft and innocent.

"Hmmm?" Daryl responded with more of a sound as he grew tired, but still had her attention.

He felt her shift, as if to see his face before she asked. "Why did it take you so long to finally give in to my flirting?"

Daryl didn't move at first, didn't even open his eyes. "Was scared. Not exactly easy for me to trust people." His hand slid down her arm after a minute while she seemed to be in thought at his response, so he continued to explain a little further. "Everyone I've ever trusted always hurt me in the end."

Carol scanned his face, taking in just how exhausted he seemed and kissed his cheek. "I'll never hurt you." She replied honestly. She wanted to ask him something else, but figured he could use the sleep more than getting lost in a conversation. Maybe another day.

The corner of his mouth lifted into a smile at her kiss. "I know." He whispered.

Carol listened to his breathing even out and she sighed in content. Allowing herself to drift off soon after him.

* * *

Daryl stretched out his muscles and yawned as he awoke the next morning, rolling over to see Carol snuggled against her pillow. He smiled and kissed her exposed shoulder lightly as he remembered the moments they shared the night before. She was so beautiful when she slept, not a care in the world and it made him happy to see her at peace. Even if just for a little while.

It was still early, the sun barely shining through the window and Daryl's body cursed him at losing the warmth of his lover when he crawled out of bed. He pulled the covers up to her chin and went to put on some pajama pants, deciding he'd wake Carol in a couple hours. The bedroom door was left open as he made his way into the kitchen in case she needed him.

Daryl saw Carl sleeping on the couch and tried to stay quiet as he grabbed a bottle of water from the cabinet. The floor was a little cool on his bare feet and he shivered slightly while taking a sip from the bottle with a sigh. He paused at the sink, resting his hands on the edge of the counter as he thought about life before the outbreak. The simple things like being able to drink water from the tap without fear of getting infected. Going to the store to get any kind of food they could imagine or even just turning on the radio to hear an actual person talking from the surrounding area. A life with Carol where he could go for a walk with her and not worry about getting their throats torn out. To have their own place and their own family. It would never happen though and he had accepted that fact. He could only make the best of what he had right then and he did. Not a day taken for granted.

"Whoa, what happened to you?" Sasha asked rubbing her eyes of sleep as she entered the kitchen, taking in the sight of his scars. She was unaware of how old they actually were and assumed he had been attacked since the split.

Daryl jumped at her voice and spun around quickly as he registered exactly what she was talking about. When it was just the four of them he was comfortable enough to walk around shirtless because no one had ever questioned him. He'd honestly forgotten about the possibility of Sasha or Maggie seeing his back and didn't think the dress fully. "Um...well..." Daryl stammered and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He hadn't even told Carol about them.

Sasha noticed his change in behavior and held up her hand in apology. "Sorry. I understand if you don't wanna talk about it."

Daryl sighed a little and relaxed back against the counter. "Thanks."

"However..." Sasha smiled then. "The pants. I think that needs a little explaining."

Daryl chuckled, glad the subject had changed. "Slim pickins these days." He lied. Actually finding them extremely comfortable, but he didn't want to ruin his tough guy imagine.

"Tell me about it." Hinting at the torn and dirty clothes she currently wore. "Maggie and I came across a mall a couple miles from here, but we were too afraid to go inside."

Daryl watched her move to sit up on the counter top beside him. Thankful she kept a little distance between them. "Sounds dangerous." He admitted.

Sasha shrugged and opened a granola bar. "Could be a gold mine. Possibly everything we could ever need."

"True." He thought about the chances of them actually getting there and the place being empty. Others could of already moved in and he'd rather face walkers over bullets any day. Then again if it was only the dead inhabiting the place, a lot of their worries could be over. It would be tough to clear, but seemed possible. They'd have to be extra careful. "We can talk about it with the others when they get up if ya want?"

"Yes, oh God yes, please. I'd give anything for the chance to actually have a choice in what I get to wear."

Daryl rolled his eyes at the typical female excitement over clothes, his mind was more focused on the things that could save their lives. Better weapons, more ammo, fishing gear, tents, medical supplies, food, anything to help them if they got stranded. This could be a great idea as long as they could pull it off.

"Morning." Carol called to the both of them as she walked over. Instinctively wrapping her arms around Daryl's waist and resting her face against his chest. She was still groggy and tired, but missed him beside her in the bed. "Why are you up so early?"

Daryl kissed the side of her head. "Came to get some water and this one snuck up on me. Got to talkin'."

Carol chuckled against him. "Someone managed to sneak up on you? That's a first."

"Not my intentions." Sasha said from beside them. She couldn't help but grin at their affection. It was a sight she'd have to get used to.

Carol pulled away and took his bottle of water, taking a slow long gulp. "So what ya been talking about?" She asked curiously, surprised to see him walking around shirtless, but didn't take it as a bad thing.

Daryl explained to her what Sasha had told him about the mall and what it could mean for their small group. At first Carol was against the idea of putting everyone at risk, but after a bit of convincing Daryl had her understanding how important a chance like this could be. It was worth a look and he informed her that if the outside even seemed a little bit dangerous they would turn around and come back.

* * *

There was a small build up of walkers in the parking lot over night, having been drawn in from the shots the day before and Daryl made quick work of them from the balcony as the others prepared for their little road trip. He scanned the area once more thoroughly before slinging his bow over his shoulder and going inside to gather everyone. The sun was already high in the sky with little to no clouds to provide shade, so he made sure to grab a few extra water bottles.

They all crammed into the station wagon with Carol driving, Daryl in the passenger seat, Maggie, Sasha and Beth in the back seat and Carl in the very back looking out the hatch. Daryl quickly decided to find a better vehicle. Not only was this one cramping his style, but it seemed more efficient to have more than one. Plus if they did find a handful of supplies the wagon was already packed.

Maggie gave Carol directions from what she could remember on their walk and Daryl looked at a map to make sure he knew exactly where they were going. Beth looked back at Carl and poked him in the side of the head playfully to give herself some sort of entertainment and he whipped around with a glare. Which soon turned into a grin and he poked her back in the cheek with a giggle. Sasha watched the teens out of the corner of her eye and shook her head at their antics, going back to looking out the window. All she could really think about was finding a new wardrobe. Her walker blood stained clothes just weren't cutting it anymore.

"If you turn here we can get a look at it from a distance." Daryl said pointing to the right for her to go down a side road. Once passed the trees the mall came in to view and Carol all but gasped. It was a lot bigger than she had expected.

Daryl jumped out of the car to get a better look and pin pointed all the exists he could see. No doors were left open, no windows broken from what he made out and the parking lot still had a nice variety of vehicles left behind. The size of the mall also surprised him and made him go over his plan again in his head. Trying to figure out the best way to approach going inside.

"Lets drive over and around the building slowly, before deciding what our next move will be." Daryl commanded as he got back in the wagon.

Carol nodded and bit her lip as they got closer. There were a lot more walkers in the parking lot than she had been able to see from the hill they were parked on and that made her uneasy. Fearing the possibilities of what could be inside.

The others rolled their windows down and took out the ones who strayed too close to the car with their knives as Carol continued to drive. Eventually Daryl asked her to pull over at a certain end of the mall. The only thing to set him on alert to the living was on the opposite side. He had noticed some cars parked up on the side walks facing away from the building as if placed there in case someone needed a quick get away. Which is why he chose the side he had to enter.

"We need to find another vehicle before we go inside." Daryl said while making sure he had his knife and arrows. "So I need someone to watch my back. While the rest of you look out for yourselves."

"I'll go with you." Carl spoke up, gripping the handle of his pistol that was still in its holder. Daryl gave him a nod, then silently looked at the others to make sure they would be alright while they were gone.

Daryl looked over at least a dozen different options before finding one suitable enough that still had gas. It was a dark green Honda CRV and he popped the hood to make sure the engine was still intact, before trying to hot wire it. Would be nice if the keys had been left behind, but that was unlikely. He crawled inside with Carl standing at the open door keeping watch as he bent down to cut the wires. The sound of Carl's pistol went off a few times as walkers approached and Daryl grew worried for the others every time he heard a body hit the ground. With a growl the SUV finally came to life and the two of them drove around to park beside the station wagon. In all they only took about six minutes.

The ground was littered with bodies surrounding the girls when they finally returned and the numbers made Daryl nervous. He briefly started to wonder if this was such a good idea. "Everyone alright?" He asked, looking them over and they all gave a nod.

"Can we hurry up and go inside?" Sasha asked impatiently, already winded from their small battle.

Carol was at the glass door looking in, trying to figure out the situation inside and all seemed clear. Daryl moved to join her and gripped her hand lightly. "Stay by my side." He told her in a whisper as Maggie went to open the door, giving everyone one last look.

"No one run off, keep someone with you at all times. Don't leave the store until the rest of us are with you and try to stay in sight. Got it?" Maggie demanded and the others respectfully agreed to her conditions.


End file.
